Team Building in #Kayaks: #Paddling Your Way to Success

CNY Kayakers End of the Season Banquet Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016 

By Pete Koerner
Team Building is more than just a new catch-phrase in the business world. Success in business means having a winning team; and the difference between a winning team and a losing team is found in how well they work together. There are many different kinds of team building exercises and evolutions available to businesses today, but perhaps the most interesting team building activity of them all is kayaking.

Kayaking offers something to both business leaders and their teams. Unlike many team building activities that can generate resistance among employees, kayaking is a fun and exciting activity that is becoming more popular each day. As one of the big growth industries of this decade, there's a good chance kayaking is something most employees have been wanting to do for a while -- and are chomping at the bit for an opportunity to try it. By setting up a group kayak outing, business owners can give their employees what they've been wanting while accomplishing a valuable business objective.
Without trying to make more of it than it is, a simple kayak excursion -- using tandem kayaks -- will accomplish several team building goals. First, paddling a tandem kayak requires two people to communicate and cooperate in order to make the boat go where the team wants it to go and do what they want it to do. Without stating this as an objective, everyone on a tandem kayak outing will quickly learn to work as a team while accommodating different paddling styles. There simply is no other option.
A second team building objective is met when each two-person team is launched into the fray and must maneuver their boat along with several other boats as they all adapt and learn on the fly. It's not unusual for a large group of tandem kayaks to spend several minutes bouncing off one another as the individual pairs gel as a team and, finally, the group takes shape and starts paddling as a flotilla. Within minutes, a group of individuals has formed working teams that have formed themselves into a group with a common destination and goal.

When people share new and exciting experiences and learn to work together as a unit to overcome a challenge and complete a task, bonds are formed that will transform a group of individuals into a team. Kayaking provides opportunities to overcome challenges in a fun and enjoyable setting while giving employees a great experience and wonderful memories they share with their co-workers -- which further brings individuals together as a group. Most important of all, kayaking, unlike most team building evolutions, is something employees will look forward to rather than dreading and resisting or avoiding. And, as a group, they'll look forward to it time and time again.

Pete Koerner has been a Professional Kayak Instructor and Guide for over 16-years, as well as being a 26-year Fire-Rescue-EMS veteran. Pete, along with his wife, Jennifer, owns and operates Up The Creek Xpeditions in St. Marys, Georgia.

Up The Creek Xpeditions has provided Corporate Team-Building and luxury resort kayaking services to clients such as The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island Plantation, Cabin Bluff and several Fortune 500 companies since 1997 with a Perfect Safety and Customer Service Record. Up The Creek Xpeditions provides the very best in professional kayak guiding and instruction and, because of our Public Safety background, has the highest safety standards in the industry. Visit: http://www.UpTheCreekX.com to find out more.

Or, you can email us at: KayakUTC@Gmail.com.

Also, feel free to contact us by phone at (912) 882-0911. Videos of some of our trips can also be seen on our YouTube channel: UpTheCreekX.
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