Success Stories
TEAM BUILDING – ARMY STYLE!
On the 16 May, nine intrepid Rapid Response Team Members attended Donnington Army barracks near Telford for something which was initially billed as a "team building exercise" - it was much more than that!
The team drawn from various areas of the city council are responsible for setting up rest centres when local residents are displaced. BEST was well represented with three of the nine being BEST leaders: Marion Beale, Mat Brown and Mohammed Rashid who were joined by Hazel Broadhouse, BEST programme manager for Chief Executive's Directorate. Accommodation the first night for the girls were small curtainless rooms with grey blankets, which the boys had to cope with a dormitory and a fire evacuation, however this was luxury compared with accommodation the next night when the team slept out under the stars.
After a briefing on Friday night, the real exercises started from 5.30 am on Saturday morning. The team was determined to do a good job from the start and everyone gave 100%. Mohammed Rashid said "I wouldn't have done this without a strong belief in myself, the team and support from Birmingham City Council". It was obvious to complete the tasks which ranged from negotiation through to vehicle recovery, the team would have to work together to get results, Mat Brown said "It was obvious from the start we all had different qualities and I felt that it was the well balanced dynamics of the team that helped us succeed. I was particularly impressed in how the team gelled in the tasks and we soon adopted our duties and communicated effectively between each other and any other contact. We got the job done - team work really does work. "
Sunday morning's 6 am start brought the dreaded army assault course. Hazel Broadhouse said "It had always been an ambition of mine to run an army assault course, but looking at the 12 foot wall I was quaking in my boots, the boys thought up a strategy of how we could all work together to get over it and I put my trust in them". The team completed the course in just over seven minutes.
The final task on Sunday before the prize giving was the bridge building competition and this took all the initiative the team could muster. Marion Beale who took command of the task said "We were faced with a task that none of us had any previous experience of. After assessing the resources we had and how best to use them, we were not afraid to look around at the progress of other teams to check for better ways of working. The result was that we were efficient as a team, we designed and built a bridge with structural integrity which was fit for purpose". The brigade commander successfully crossed the bridge. A very challenging weekend enjoyed by everyone - a better team now - you bet!
