The Learning EDGE: ABC Supply Newsletter

Special Edition
July 2004

ABC Supply Co. inc. Selects Training Company & Location for Team Training & Team Building!

The Learning E.D.G.E. Chosen For its Experience To Start the Process of Building a More Effective ABC Supply Co. Inc. Team

A real world, practical applications approach to the new world of business management, The E.D.G.E. specializes in customized sales, marketing and customer service programs that enhance or change current performance to meet newly defined skill requirements.

The Learning E.D.G.E. Incorporated is a Texas based developmental resource team available for those companies who have looked at the skill and knowledge base of their current sales, retail merchandising, project or marketing teams and don't find the needed level of competency to meet the challenges of today's changing business environment.

The E.D.G.E. and their consulting resources have worked in several industries that include: consumer package goods, telecommunications, computer hard and soft ware, building, funeral, financial, chemical, roofing & siding distributor, pharmaceutical and travel, to name a few, and have helped build more solid and productive business teams in each.

The EDGE has worked for companies like: Bayer Corporation, Nokia, Sabre, Bristol-Myers Squibb, American Airlines, U.S. Brick, Dell Computer, G.E. Medical, ABC Supply Co. inc., Aether Systems, KFC, Lennox, Verizon, Mead Johnson Nutritional, Gadzooks, Genuity, QualComm, Citigroup, Dobson Electric, Service Corp International, Dial Corp, Gillette, Johnson Wax, Kraft General Foods, M & M Mars, PaperMate, Rayovac, Capital One, Zales, and Reynolds Metals.

Park Lane Ranch was chosen for the location and is the premier dude ranch location in DFW. Park Lane Ranch has over 18,000 air-conditioned square feet indoor and over 380 acres of grounds. The Ranch has, a 72-hole miniature golf course and a nine-hole pitch and putt course. The ranch can host parties of between 25 to 2,500 people. Park Lane also has a professional driving range.

ABC Supply Co. Team Building Event Is
Tied Into Face To Face Meetings

The ABC Supply Team came together for a team training and team building session at Park Lane in Dallas to build a more effective team and was challenged to develop a more productive ABC Supply team. They wanted their team to bond while increasing their knowledge and appreciation for each other as valuable resources. They wanted the team to experience as few activities that would challenge them to become more cohesive and productive and deliver life applications to the team that could be applied on the job. The ABC Supply team also wanted to have some fun while addressing some very specific learning objectives that included:

TEAM BUILDING & COWBOY OLYMPICS

Develop further the team’s communications skills to make them more effective in handling their internal and external customers at ABC Supply Co. Inc.
To promote a culture of recognition and encouragement among team members and departments.
To maximize the teams effectiveness and improve their ability to work with one another and to depend on one another to carry out their part of the team’s agreements.
To have fun and encourage one another to become better managers.
To use all the resources on the team to maximize effectiveness in competing and handling the challenges the team will face.

With these goals in mind Angela Hicks and Kimberly Hile talked with Joe Hudson, from The Learning E.D.G.E. Inc., to design a comprehensive learning and fun one-day experience for the team. The workshop was held at Park Lane in Dallas and focused on the learning objectives listed above. Information and activities worked to get the team members to know one another better, understand the power of each individual while bonding together for a stronger ABC Supply Co. Team. The key attributes that needed to be displayed by each team leader on every activity were: 1-Effective Communicator, 2-Respected, 3-Supportive, 4-Honest and 5-Competent. The key attributes that needed to be displayed by each team member on every activity were: 1-Personally Accountable, 2-Honest, 3- Team Player, 4-Good Communicator and 5-Encourager. Each team member worked to exhibit these attributes in each activity during the course of the afternoon. The adventure learning challenges for day one included: The Bridge, Hole-In-One, Team Miniature Golf, Lariat Pass, Barrel Racing and The Hollow Square. The teams set out to conquer the Olympic challenges and turned in some incredible times setting several New Olympic Records.

The Olympic Records set by event were: Hollow Square-Writing Instructions: Jerry Ninelist lead the Raider team to a new Olympics Ranch record with: 10 Pieces in a time of 34 seconds. Another Olympic Ranch record was set in the Barrel Racing with Ches Singleton leading the way in a Ranch record time of 6:24 seconds with the Raiders. The third Olympic record was set on The Bridge with Duane Meno leading the Cold-Heat in a time of 4:39 on the second try. The fourth Olympic record was set again by Cold-Heat with Chris Meyer leading the way with a team score of 2.6 strokes over four holes in Team Miniature Golf. The last Olympic record was set in the Lariat Pass by the “But Kickers” with Brian Dulaney at point with 1,394 passes in 10 minutes. All in all Olympic Records were set in four events and that is a first for any participating team at the ranch.

The Cowboy Olympic challengers that took home medals for second place were: Hollow Square with Bill Machen as leader the “But Kickers” finished in second place with 7 pieces in 43 seconds. Barrel Racing with David Shaw as the lead wrangler came in with a respectable time of 9:12 with the Champions. The Lariat Pass with Lee Davison as leader was able to record some 1,216 passes in the allotted 10 minutes. Team Miniature Golf with John Yonkin as leader turned with a score of 2.9 strokes over the four holes of competition. The Bridge to the Customer with Mike Muncy at the helm took the Encouragers to a 6-minute finish, which was also a new Olympic Record for a second try. In the Hole-In-One competition no records were set but excellent times were turned in and the first score was 11 holes in one by the Cold-Heat lead by Tommy Becerra and the second best time was turned in by the Profiteers under the leadership of Robert Amar with 10 holes in one.

Special Olympic designed T-Shirts were also presented to top team encouragers, and they were: Lee Davidson, Mike Ford, Shannon Galloway, Kimberly Hile, Chris Meyers and Brian Dulaney. Special Thanks to Angela Hicks and Kimberly Hile for their time and effort in handling all the meeting details!!

ABC Supply Co. inc. Event Can Spell Further Team Success

Key points made at the workshop included:

The three components needed for effective teams are: The Leader, the Team Members and The Challenge.
Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success.
Discussing that a team is a group of ordinary individuals doing extra ordinary things together to reach a common goal.Success depends above all, upon people. Build relationships, teams, and partnerships -- and motivate people to contribute. Cultivate leadership, creativity, and excellence. Listen; seek new ideas and advice. “-Ruth Scott, Pres. & CEO, Assoc. for Portland (OR) Progress
Trust Depends on: Open and Honest Communication, Offering Constructive Advice & Feedback without Harming The Working Relationship, Acceptance of Each Team Member and Embracing Their Differences, Respecting the Opinions of All Team Members, The Leader and Team Must Feel-We Fail or We Succeed Together, There Are No Individual Hero’s, Everyone Is Recognized For Their Part, All Contributions Are Valued, Common Goals That All Are Committed To Achieving Excellence, Establishing & Practicing Ethical Standards.
Words of encouragement fan the spark of genius into the flame of achievement.
It takes 30 encouraging words or sentences to negate one discouraging word said in haste or anger. Let you brain engage before your jaw jacks.
Fortune magazine recently featured the "100 Best Companies to work for in America," based on data collected by Hewitt Associates. According to Ray Baumruk, a principal with Hewitt Associates, "the 100 Best are all leaders in their own right when it comes to recognizing the value and importance of their people to their success."
In a study conducted by Robert Half International, 47 percent of executives surveyed said that recognition and praise were the most important factors in keeping an employee satisfied.
Positive recognition is often considered to be the responsibility of managers, but a Gallup survey has found that employees also cherish praise and recognition from peers.

Applications for a Better Team Effort at ABC Supply Co.

The Hole-In-One

Trust the people in leadership and listen to them
Give clear and concise directions to eliminate communication problems
Don’t assume people understand your directions as many of them have blindfolds on when they come into the project or assignment
Trust that each person will do their jobs if given the right instructions
Personalize your direction and communication to each individuals needs and learning abilities
Instant feedback provides the environment for positive results. Take the time to set the plan and then allow the people to work the plan.

The Hollow Square

Think outside the box and use all the resources you have available
Spend more time with our people especially in the warehouse to get input on execution of management’s ideas and plans
Double check to insure that all the personnel understand the puzzles we are trying to build at ABC Supply Co.
Watch out that our own agendas don’t get in the way of making team progress and accomplishing the goals we have at ABC Supply Co.
Get all the people involved in the planning phase as that is the most critically important of all phases
Give clear and concise instructions and where we can give visual directions to the construction teams at ABC Supply Co.
Sometime we make things too complicated, we should use the KISS method
Make sure we are communicating effectively to all groups at ABC Supply Co. and check for understanding before we start the project

The Lariat Pass

We need to give more recognition to our people everyday in varied and assorted ways
Proper planning insures a successful plan
We need more team work at all levels at ABC Supply Co.
We need to give our people goals that they can achieve
Have a plan and then work the plan. The more effective the communication the closer the team works and supports one another

The Barrel Racing

Listen to others so we can make it happen as a team
Work as a team and let the leaders take control
Ask question and get the answers you need to accomplish the goals
Use lessons that you learn and apply them to each assignment or project you try to accomplish.

The Bridge to Customer Service

No matter how difficult the task never give up
Be able to adjust your plan in the middle of the stream
Work harder with vendors to improve material lead-time
What one person thinks is right may not be the only way to peel the potato. Think outside the box. Always ask if everyone understands the project before you move ahead
Use all the resources you are given including everything you bring to the job with you. Don’t let a job description get in your way to being a team player

Team Miniature Golf

Listen to your people and use our planning sessions wisely
Listen to your leaders and make sure you understand the plan before you move to execute
You can’t change the past, just move on and get the job done
Communicate more positively to one another. Be encouragers all the time
Work with each other to achieve all your group goals. Use all your resources to their maximum effectiveness