I enrolled in the Executive MBA program, and before the semester started, our cohort of 20 eager students embarked on a five-day retreat at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA.
Our team coaching sessions led by Professor James Bailey didn’t require PowerPoint or pointers but still had everything to do with leadership development — You can’t create a leader in a classroom.
After spending two days engaged in team-building exercises and thought-provoking discussions, we were ready to get some fresh air. The next morning, we hiked down the Allegheny Mountain gorge trail, through the thick forest, past the lovely cascade falls until we arrived in the middle of a grassy field with a gigantic wall affectionately known as the Tower. At first glance, the 40-foot Tower seemed daunting and insurmountable.
Throughout life, we face many obstacles both personal and professional. The key to responding to these roadblocks is to face them head-on and to rely on the support from others around you. This is teamwork — being supported and supporting each other. To work as a team, it’s imperative to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, both physically and mentally. The better we know one another, the better we’re able to assist each other.
The Ropes Course is a metaphor for problem-solving — it challenges us to face our fears and climb on. The higher you climb, the more you rely on your team for support.
The first task was to have each person assist their team members in donning their harnesses — the one crucial piece of equipment for our safety and protection.
Then each team ascended in tandem facing the challenge of not having enough steps for all three to ascend at the same time. Sometimes a climber would have to take a step down in order for another climber to proceed. That was ok, as long as they all reached their final destination together.
Meanwhile, the rope handlers kept a close eye on the climbers, coaching them on where to place their hands and feet and providing support and encouragement so that the 3-member team could ascend up to the top together and then back down.
When it was my turn to go, I knew I could rely on my teammates Senodja Walker and Amir Moore.
Rope team:
“Senodja, place the right hand on the block and your left foot on the step.”
“Amir, move your right foot off the step and place it on the block so that Senodja can place her foot on it.”
As the climbers moved up the wall and then back down, the Belay teams were tasked to remove the slack by paying out or pulling in the excess line. They kept a close eye and a taut line, but they were not allowed to pull the crew up the wall — the climbers had to figure this out on their own.
Climbers: “Slack!” (pay out a little rope.)
Belayers: pays out the rope and pauses to see if climbers ask again.
Climbers: “Up rope.” (pull in rope slack.)
Belayers: pulls in rope and pause to see if climbers ask again.
Eventually, all of us made it over the wall and back down, taking one step at a time. The journey in life is rarely simplistic and straightforward. If we keep striving, we will eventually reach our goals, even if we have to climb over life’s challenges, obstacles, and setbacks.
The EMBA class was broken down into five groups of four and we would remain in our group for the entire two years. One of the first projects that we worked on was the Airline Pilots Association. ALPA, with 53,000 members and 40 airlines in the U.S. and Canada, is the largest airline labor union in the world.
We were having a conference call on skype when I touted the fact that airlines such as Jet Blue and Delta have successfully used Twitter and Facebook to promote their products and to provide updates on weather and flight cancellations.
“I’ve had it with you. Your solution to everything is always social media!” Eli my classmates exclaimed.
This wasn’t the first time he had said that and we always seemed to butt heads over the value of social media for building brand awareness and winning new customers.
I immediately slammed the phone down and ended the conference call.
The next thing I did was call Senodja on the phone. “I can’t work with Eli any longer — he’s so unaccepting of social media. I’m here to learn and broaden my horizon, not to clash heads.”
“Wish you could join my team, but we’re already maxed out.”
“Then maybe I should try to understand his point of view better and discuss our differences.”
“Or perhaps you could transfer out of the EMBA and enroll in the Professional MBA program — it may take a little longer to complete but you have a choice of a wide selection of classes and work with a diverse myriad of people.”
