Training Doesn’t Have to be Boring
Many years ago, at the very beginning of his working life, my husband had an employer who introduced him to the concept of a boondoggle.
In the modern sense of the word, a boondoggle is a frivolous waste of time. It’s also, however, a great way to bond teams together and create community without the stuffy, rote way of doing things.
When my husband and I got married, we started using the term to describe our own “frilolous” adventures.
Grab a backpack with a few essentials, maybe a snack and some water and off we go. No real planned destination or agenda, except to be present, enjoy something new and adapt to whatever gets put in our path.
BOONDOGGLES WITH KIDS
When our kids were old enough and mostly diaper trained, we introduced them to the boondoggle too. As mentioned, we didn’t view it as wasteful or trying to look busy. We planned boondoggles as a way to nurture curiosity, whimsey, wonder and flexibility for our kids. Some days it was just hop in the car and head to an unknown neighborhood park destination. Some days, it was finding a cool art exhibit or going to a baseball game. Once we even went to a sketchy circus that was erected in the manner of hours in an empty parking lot. Because they were little, the kids didn’t care (or even realize) that it was sketchy!
Our adventures have been fun memories to laugh - or cry - about; and only one has gone down in boondoggle history as being an absolute miss - meeting Lightning McQueen and Jackson Storm in July, in Arizona, in yet another hot parking lot, with a very long line. For a couple of kids who grew up watching Cars, the limited access to the actual cars didn’t live up to the hype.
Watering holes, creek beds, hikes, pottery classes, museums, scenic routes, national monument ruins, castles built into mountains, archaeological sites and lava caves, musicals, etc. We’ve had some great unplanned adventures.
Here’s the gist:
Research is important. Not everything will work out perfectly, but knowing what you may need, how long the drive is, how much your kids/family can handle, what food or drink prep is necessary.
Announce the boondoggle with very little notice. The fun part is not knowing what it could be. Building some anticipation and encouraging them to have an open mind.
Ask them to pack a bag. For younger kids it might just be a water bottle and a snack and you have the rest. For older kids, you might tell them to bring clothes to change into or what type of footwear they might need. The goal is to keep them guessing and build anticipation.
Start small, start easy. If you have kids with a bit of anxiety over the location, or if it is the first boondoggle, start small. We had to build up to longer trips or day trips. And, everyone was a bit wary after the Lightning McQueen incident!
PRO TIP: Every one of our boondoggles has been essentially free. We stay local (though as teens, we can travel a bit further) and we don’t need to purchase extra equipment or gear. For a long while we had “adventure lockers” in our house where they could grab a flashlight, a backpack, binoculars, or any other manner of small outdoorsy items that made them feel prepared for the day.
BOONDOGGLES FOR TEAMS
Obviously, your sports or business teams will work differently, but the intent can still be the same.
Build trust, cultivate wonder, curiosity, and creativity.
You can have a surprise element to it as well. Here are some team boondoggles I’ve pulled off for sports teams:
Surprise Hip Hop Dance Class (you can hire an instructor or take them all to a studio). All phones in a central basket. NO RECORDING or CHECKING PHONES during the class. This one requires trust. What you will find at the end of the class is they are begging to have the whole dance recorded! You can choose any type of dance, but this one is usually the most fun for young people.
High School Stomp Team teaches High School Volleyball Team a short routine they will present to the coaching staffs together! The interaction between teams is so much fun because there’s a teaching element that requires cooperation.
Team scavenger hunt on campus with polaroid cameras. Identify ten or so people/locations for the team to find on campus and snap a polaroid with. The locations need to be on campus and within walking distance. Get creative: academic counselors, athletic trainers, coaches from other sports, training room, weight room, dining hall, specific trophy or hall of fame, etc.
Take the Ferry. On a team walk, we came across a water way that had access to the other side of the island. Instead of turn around, we paid the $2 feel per person and popped over to the other side.
Service Project. There are many places to volunteer as a team within your community. Partner with a local organization or residential home.
Keep it Creative.
The most important thing is to keep it authentic to you, your team culture and the individuals on your team. If you don't believe you can pull it off, you won’t and your team won't do it either. Start with something you know you can pull off. Team cohesion and culture take time to build and there’s always someone who is skeptical. That’s okay.
If it’s an activity everyone can do physically, can handle emotionally and has the mental fortitude to pull off, prep well and give it a shot. When done well, boondoggles can be more effective than your typical team bonding experiences because there’s a surprise element, built in adversity and opportunities for cooperation and connection when things aren’t perfect.
What are some creative ways you can try a team boondoggle? For business? For Sports? For your family?
DISCLAIMER: Physical, Emotional or Mental Limitations
Please understand that any surprise activity I have done with a team or staff, I have understood the limitations of those people and that team. While the idea is to have full participation, some people may not be able to participate for one reason or another and some people may have great anxiety over a surprise element. Begin with trust. If your team trusts you, they will likely trust the culture you are creating. If you don’t have trust yet, start small and build from there. You are not putting your team or your people in dangerous situations, only seeking to enhance team creativity and cultivate cooperation and connection through shared experience.
