Time for a Retreat
A retreat to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond was organized for improving teamwork with the additional aim to make the Humphrey Fellows at Virginia Commonwealth University realize their competencies and better understand each other. As usual it was a short ride, however this time it was in the sports car of our coordinator Randy, for me, and two other fellows.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens are located in the outskirts of Richmond. They are renowned for their collection of plants and are considered as one of the top botanical gardens of the world. Apart from a wide variety of plant and tree collections, it also boasts of a butterfly enclosure housing beautiful butterflies.
They have a treasure trove of information on vegetation found throughout the world and provide vital inputs to botanists and nature lovers. The gardens have beautiful surroundings with a lake which has been very well landscaped. There are play areas for children which makes it an interesting place where they learn about the plants and trees while playing and having fun.
The restaurant and a garden shop also complete the picture by providing the people visiting the place with comforts. Our retreat was organized in a separate hall booked for the purpose.
The assistant coordinator, Heather Ashton, gave us initial inputs and we started with various team building exercises planned by her. Activities were structured around how to plan as a team, assign roles to each member to achieve a successful outcome of the plans prepared together. It also gave an opportunity to understand the difficulties one faces in decision making as a team and how with collective planning better outcomes are possible. If there is a consensus on execution and the roles are properly assigned, each member will understand and contribute to the team goal.
The next exercise concerned was interesting in the sense that three teams were formed and provided plastic and Styrofoam glasses, plates, and paper sheets, thereafter teams were asked to build stable towers so as to achieve maximum height. We thought that it was an easy task but then realized that the best of our abilities and imagination was required. As a team, we all were able to put up a good show, though only one of the teams won. The exercise was to foster a belief that when each team members ideas are consolidated, it leads to better planning and implementation of the plan. Constant adjustments and improvements to the original plan are required throughout the execution so as to improve performance, however, a poor plan can lead to failures and disappointments.
The third exercise was to find whether we could improve as a team when faced with similar problems. When the process was done individually the scores were compared with a standard and then as a team consensus was achieved, final differences were calculated. The learning outcome here was that we need to decide on the best course of action and come to consensus quickly. So here too one of the teams could not complete the exercise and it gave a lesson that when being part of a team one has to learn to compromise and take the most prudent action or decision without procrastinating on the problem forever. On a lighter note, the exercise ended up with participants deciding whether a bottle of 160 proof of rum is important or a transistor radio, with most of us being proved wrong. In this exercise, it was apparent that decision making as a team improves, we also improved our understanding of the challenges involved in decision making in groups.
Soon it was time for some lunch and refreshments and the restaurant at the botanical gardens provided the cuisine for a refreshing lunch.
As the next session allowed us to further build upon our challenges and how we faced them while applying and coming for the Humphrey program, it became clearer that all of us had to make great effort sacrificing settled lifestyles and leaving behind our loved ones to come and participate in this program. It also gave us a solemn moment to dwell upon the fact that we need to make most of the opportunity, giving our best to expand our knowledge in chosen fields and also contribute fruitfully to various programs in our respective countries. The discussion then veered to what was the most noticeable departure that fellows had observed in the United States since their arrival. The feedback said it all, fellows had found different facets of life as something which they treated as strange and unlike their cultural and social practices back home. The freewheeling discussion ranged from the difference in the educational system, teaching methods in the US, and to why dogs are the favored pets in the US.
The post-lunch session saw the coordinator taking over and getting feedback on improving the program and what information needs to be shared with the fellows before their departure from home countries. We also discussed what modifications were required for sessions during orientation weeks after arriving in Richmond. A discussion followed on the utility of as to how the different orientation sessions were scheduled and I can bet that so many different views were provided that coordinators were left scratching their heads while trying to make out what to do!!
Overall it was a refreshing day for us to be nestled in between the picturesque surroundings of Lewis Ginter botanical gardens. As we traveled back I could see that we all had a memory to look upon in future.
