This project management series was of unbelievable value, as it really got them working and participating. I believe that most participants are under the impression that they will attend a workshop/training and that they will only be listening. The SWOT analysis has so much detail that it is almost impossible to miss details of your strategic planning process. The managers all recognized that the three difference hotels were different is specific ways, but the ideas that came out of it were amazing. With the last hotel doldrum the participant needs to do a presentation - and among all the other learning points, one participant noticed that he need to work on his "presentation skills" and how to carry a message over to important people. Another great attribute is the financial details that are attached to the downloads. This provides the participant with a feeling of credibility and believability of the exercise they are busy with.

I have now run Hotel Doldrums twice as a 1 day team build exercise.

Marketing Team
This team is quite large (24 in total) and is spread throughout the country. Their opportunity to spend time together as a team is limited. Also, the team manager knew some elements of the team very well and others hardly at all having ‘inherited’ them following a company take over. A big part of this team build day was to get to know each other on a personal as well as a business basis.

I ran the exercise after going through some personality profiling. It was really powerful to see how people responded in their preferred behavioural style and perhaps even more so how their fellow team members recognised the behaviours!!

Not surprisingly there was an abundance of creativity going around, when the analytical people tried to intervene there were some ‘clashes’ although always controlled, usually ending up in peels of laughter. It did, however, demonstrate the need to listen to all team members and give everyone the chance to contribute. A good learning for the stronger personalities in the group. Time management was an issue and gave the team manager an insight as to why and how deadlines sometimes slip. She left the session with a strategy for managing this within the team more effectively in the future.p

The meetings with the Bank Manager weren’t particularly successful. I’m not sure whether this was the way I positioned this aspect of the training or not. The overall feedback was that the meetings contributed very little and took away valuable time.

A number of leaders emerged. Some based on personalities and others on expertise again demonstrating the advantages of having a good mix within the team.

The need for a 3 month plan did give focus to think about the future. The team are often required to be reactive, rapid change being a trait in our industry. Having to plan in a structured way for the future was a useful learning and demonstrated how much control you get when you are able to do this.

The final presentations were very light on financial information which was recognised as something of a problem given that they were for the bank manager!! Known your audience eh? There was much emphasis on how they would ‘pretty-up’ the respective hotels, what fun things they could offer and how they would improve the experience to encourage the return of guests. Not so much thought around what would happen if people didn’t return!! Glass half full perhaps?

The most valuable things taken from the exercise were:

Recognising and be able to utilise the strengths within the team.
The importance of planning Thinking inside the box as well as outside it!
Raising awareness of financial implications around the roles of the team members.
Working as a team.

Strategic Sales Team
I ran the exercise again 4 weeks later with a smaller team of strategic sales people. This team have huge transformation in front of them due to changes in our business so it was good to give them a subject they were totally unfamiliar with.

The team had slightly less time which proved a challenge and a learning point for me here is that a smaller team doesn’t necessarily mean less time.

There was definitely a more financial focused approach and less creativity. As with the previous group the presentations ran over time neither groups having practised. They would argue they didn’t have time….I would argue they should have made time!!! Creativity was limited in this session and it highlighted the need to involve other areas and expertise within the business for the new challenges ahead.

This team had a brand new manager who was eager to demonstrate his style. He joined in the exercise which proved really valuable and his team could see he would not ask them to do anything he wouldn’t or couldn’t do himself.

We did not include the bank manager role this time and in all honesty I don’t think the exercise lost anything as a result.

Again the need for a 3 month plan was very powerful and I would say that this was the most valuable aspect for both sessions.

All in all, this is an excellent exercise with an incredible amount of learning from it. It has been a huge success and I will/would use it again and again.