Military language is alive and well in organisations. CEO’s talk about ‘leading from the front,’ ‘the fight ahead,’ or ‘outflanking competitors.’ Marketing people refer to ‘the right strategy’, ‘targeting customers’ or ‘the battle for market share.’ In every office in the country, there’s someone ‘heading for cover’, ‘taking a bullet for the boss’ or ‘keeping their head down.’ Business and the military seem to be happy bedfellows. Is this why so many organisations use combat sports for team building activities? Or, paradoxically, is it that so called tough sports such as paintball or laser combat can be effective in building personal skills?
In his new book, Tom Peters The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue Excellence. Tom Peters the US management guru has a phrase: ‘Hard is soft. Soft is hard.’ He believes it is the soft skills in management – not the Rambo macho stuff – that are the keys to career success. And these skills, such as empathy, communication and listening, are the hardest to master.
But what is surprising is that organisations turn to activities like paintball to deliver these skills.
Trevor Read, who’s been a paintball instructor for 20 years, isn’t surprised. He says: ‘It’s fascinating watching people work together trying to attack or defend against another team, very often it is the team who take the time to plan and work together that come out on top. The gung-ho types can go off in different directions and get picked-off.’
Henry Jervis runs Jervis Homes, a property development business in the Cotswolds. ‘There’s no doubt paintball helps build team and leadership skills. In paintball, you often have tasks to do. Someone needs to take on the role of leader, organise a strategy and get people working together. This is often a good chance to give someone a leadership role who doesn’t normally get that chance,’ he says.
‘Reversing people’s roles can be a useful skills-building exercise. They may find themselves leading a team of people, who they normally work alongside or underneath. And, under the pressure of being fired at, they have to communicate clearly and precisely,’ adds Jervis.
Nigel Curtis is head of a marketing and communications agency in the Midlands; he’s a late convert to combat sports. ‘Creative people tend to view the ‘Rambo’ world of laser and paintball sports with a bit of sceptism,’ he says.
‘But I think it gives people the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills, where perhaps they were previously a bit reserved,’ Curtis adds. Jervis makes the point that, like business, combat sports are about learning to balance risk and reward. ‘You’re making critical judgements under pressure, those that make the best decisions win,’ he says.
Curtis believes combat sports can ‘help to break down barriers’. He says: ‘People who are a bit reluctant at first – like me – enjoy the thrill of winning together as a team. I think it also gives people confidence in their skills. They discover they don’t have to be macho figures to outsmart another team. In the end, it’s a combination of head and heart that wins the day.’ Just like the commercial world, then.
10 soft skills combat sports can teach
1. Communicating under pressure. There’s no time for waffle when the paintballs are flying.
2. Building trust. Your life (paintball being that is) can depend on someone else.
3. One and one equal three. Demonstrating the power of the team over the individual can be
very powerful for some people.
4. Plan, act, reflect, and act. Learning to balance action and reflection are key management
skills. Running into enemy fire without a plan is likely to leave you with more paint on than
your skirting board.
5. Strategic thinking. Developing strategies together as team can be both frustrating and
rewarding. But you always learn something.
6. Winning is a habit. It’s amazing what winning does for team motivation.
7. Hidden leaders. Given the chance people surprise themselves, and others, with their
leadership skills.
8. Confidence. Demonstrating the power of people’s soft skills can be liberating.
9. Down and dirty. Back seat ‘ego’ leaders, who won’t get their hands dirty, don’t work in
paintball. Or organisations for that matter.
10. Risk and reward. Balancing risk is a key management judgement.
If, you want to organise a paintball team-building event for your team, or simply shoot them, click here.
Tom Peters talks the talk – others walk the walk!
It is whatever works for you. Clearly UK companies reckon getting down and dirty with your team – and shooting the hell out of your boss – works for them.
Let’s paintball!!!!
Our team has been paintballing several times (we can’t get enough!). It has been responsible for improving communication, a sense camaraderie and improving the confidence of some of the less outspoken members of the team. It has the added benefit of hugely entertaining and is therefore viewed as a reward/perk as oppose to yet another team building exercise. Highly recommended as an team activity. Once again another excellent and interesting article from the Adrenamag team.