An acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity, VUCA is a military concept that was adopted by the business community as a way to describe the inherently difficult issues of the modern world. These four words form the lens through which a strategic leader views the rapidly evolving business landscape, and they are also the basis for creating an adaptable and proactive organization with regard to the inevitability of change. A Little Background on VUCA The concept of VUCA emerged out of the US Army War College in the mid-to-late 1990s, a time during which the US found itself in…

It’s hard to imagine a more impressive backdrop for a Bay Area team building event than an aircraft carrier — and that’s exactly what we had for our Pursuit team building event this past week. We took an enthusiastic group of ninety plus participants through a variety of fun and fast-paced activities inside the hangar bay of the storied USS Hornet, a decommissioned WWII era aircraft carrier moored in Alameda, CA.

Giving feedback is rarely something that we look forward to, but rather something we often avoid or mildly dread. Unfortunately, the word itself has become loaded with baggage. When we hear the word feedback, most of us think of it as a lightly-veiled, corporate euphemism for criticism. Despite the negative connotations, it’s undeniable that feedback is a valuable tool for improving employee and management team performance. And part of the reason that we dread it so much is that we’re doing it wrong. Here are some helpful tips that will assure that you provide feedback effectively.

Glassdoor just released their Top 50 Winners for Best Places to Work 2015, and they did so right on the heels of the US economy’s best hiring month in three years. We’re finally out of the hiring slump and the wheels of commerce are turning again. Along with this hiring increase has come a bolstered sense of confidence among the labor force, and those people who have been hunkered down at a job they don’t particularly like are now starting to explore their options elsewhere. Is your company a place where your employees want to stay?

Many of our customers are geographically dispersed and rely on Skype, conference calls and virtual meetings to stay connected. We have been told that our brand of training and team building may soon be replaced by headsets and videoconferencing—that companies can’t afford to bring their far-flung teams together to meet—that some consider spending time together to be a waste of time. We believe the opposite and see the power of the f2f on a daily basis. Memorable shared experience: An adventure, a fun outing or a good laugh all accelerate bonding and build community.