The New Year has come, and as the first weeks of 2012 roll by, our resolutions are being put to the test. Among quitting smoking, clearing personal debt and others, fitness and losing weight are the perennial front-runners for New Year’s resolutions. So let’s talk about what it means to be fit.

Fitness is ambiguous; one can be fit to swim but not fit to play football. Fitness is also a personal issue; we get slimmer and stronger through our own merit. We use our friends and families to motivate us to stay on track but often find that not having enough time causes us to give up. That, and the overwhelming opinion that working out in a gym just isn’t fun.

As weight rooms and gyms throughout the city lose soldiers throughout the coming weeks, we can find other ways to bolster personal fitness and have more fun without hitting the treadmill or the dumbbells.

When I was in high school, I set a school record for the fastest time around the school campus. How much time did I spend on the treadmill throughout ALL of high school? Around a couple of hours. The key to my long-distance speed, which is arguably the best indicator of all-round fitness, was playing sports.

Playing hockey and soccer for several years bolstered my physical ability without me even realizing it. I was no superstar in either sport. I was the equivalent to Manny Malhotra (since his eye injury): good in the Faceoff circle but hard-pressed to score a goal. Both my soccer and hockey teams had losing records, but fortunately losing on the scoreboard and getting fit have no correlation–unless you’re picking daisies in front of the net.

The truth is, when you’re running (or skating) around chasing an object and trying to score you’re not thinking: “All these calories are just burning away! So long Christmas belly fat!” Instead, you’ll be thinking about how to win. But when time is up, you will always lose…calories, that is. But what you will win is a social element within the team dynamic. Assembling a sports team in the office is a great way to make friends and bond with colleagues. It definitely helps life back at work when everyone around you is on the same team.

If burning fat and getting fit is your new year’s resolution, then achieve it in the most effective and fun way possible. We all like to see progress. This is precisely why treadmills are so counter-intuitive and don’t work for so many people; you’re not physically moving anywhere and the only thing you’re running towards is either a flat screen TV or a wall. The only progress you can see from a treadmill is numbers on a scale, and though that may be rewarding enough for many, you can also see the pounds drop with the added benefits of making new friends and bonding with colleagues by getting a sports team together at work.

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

#Teambuilding

I should clarify that when I say invest, I am not only referring to a monetary value; in many cases, time is the principal investment. Moreover, managers often mistakenly believe that teambuilding is a mere one-time experience when in fact the best teams invest in a long-term vision that supports team performance.

3. Making a long-term investment in team-building

Especially for newly recruited teams, team-building is an essential in forming a solid foundation for future growth. Aside from the usual introductions, it is also a good idea to know what each character is willing to contribute and what he or she desires to achieve in the end. From this, the team can set mutual expectations and objectives that will guide the performance and culture of the entire group.

From this point on, managers or coaches can let their creativity run wild on how to construct an effective and cohesive team. Some of the more traditional ideas for teambuilding events are listed below:

• A scavenger hunt
• Karaoke
• Team dinners
• Playing sports together (See how CCV can help your team here!)
• A mini retreat

The best team-building activities get everyone on the team involved, engaged, and excited. Moreover, the activities should ideally allow the team to practice some of the core skills necessary for a successful team, such as effective communication.

A fitting example of a winning team that understands the value of teambuilding is the 2011 MLS Cup Champions, the LA Galaxy. Prior to the 2011 season, the LA Galaxy arrived in Scottsdale, Arizona for a ten-day training camp featuring practice games and drills. Juggling new players on the roster, the retreat allowed the players and coaches the opportunity to bond as a team.

MLS star Landon Donovan described his view on teambuilding,

My belief has always been the things you do off the field then cultivate themselves on the field. Guys in groups hanging out after training, whether it’s sitting by the pool, going to dinner, watching TV, playing cards…those kinds of things allow for discussions about soccer to take place. Trips like this are crucial to that kind of team building.

On the same topic, veteran defender, Todd Dunivant said,

I hope it helps us continue to jell. We have a lot of new faces this year, and there’s a lot of integration we have to deal with in the team.

Although the LA Galaxy players were attending a ten-day training camp, the teambuilding was not going to end there. As Donovan indicated, groups should continue to strengthen their team cohesion through simple activities such as dinners and talks that can be done throughout the season.

Therefore, I cannot stress enough how important it is for coaches and managers to consider the long-term development of a team. It may even be helpful for coaches to schedule check-in points to ensure the team is on track.

Of course, there is something greater to be gained through teambuilding as well. By the end of the season or project, hopefully you will begin to recognize your teammates as more than simply work partners, but perhaps even friends.

To read more about the LA Galaxy training camps, see here.

Have more ideas on #teambuilding? Share them with us!

1) Online Registration & Online Roster Forms

Great news! You can finally register online! No more of that tedious paper and pen movement, just let your fingers do the magic for you! Follow the simple steps on the screen and you’re on your way to the CCV Summer Games 2012! Early Bird registration is now open with a 5% discount on all tournament prices. Register now!

It should be noted that payments will still be completed via mail-in cheques or phone-in credit cards. If changes need to be made to the submitted team roster, coordinators must contact CCV via email, telephone, or fax.

2) Blog

Remember those days when you had to log on to an entirely different site to check out our blog? Well here’s to saving you another minute now that the blog and the CCV home page are integrated! Catch up on the latest recaps and get your schedules without having to jump back and forth like a skip-rope on the internet.

 3) Testimonials

See what the buzz is all about! Check out some live footage at the event and find out why people love CCV! See the testimonials here.

Want to submit a testimonial to CCV? Send us an email with a few sentences about your experience at the CCV Summer Games.

4) Search Box & Contact Form

Who knew this tiny white box made a difference?! Well, let this box be the quick search solution for you. Type in a topic or keyword and away you go! And if you can’t find what you’re looking for feel free to shoot us a quick email through our new contact form.

CCV’s online contact form will shave off seconds if not minutes when you need to send us an email. Fill out the open fields and BAM! Go on to the next interesting task in your life!

5) Volunteer for the CCV Summer Games

Want to be a Corporate Champion minus the sweat? Apply to become a volunteer and get access to our events while cheering on teams at Metro Vancouver’s largest corporate sport event! You can now check out the positions and fill out an application form online. Volunteer with CCV! 

Like or dislike the changes? Let us hear it!

Communication.

2) Fostering a positive team environment

After finding the right people and helping them to the “right seats,” what else can a manager do to encourage success? In both the sports arena and the workplace, reaching your goal is just as much of a mental game is it is a physical battle. Although it is unlikely for a leader to be able to control the results of a team, he or she can influence the environment in which the team operates in efforts to optimize performance.

But what characteristics should a coach strive to bring out in a team? Let’s take a closer look at the inner workings of the NBA team, Chicago Bulls, and the multi-million dollar search engine, Google.

The Bulls’ mission is to win the NBA Championships. Google’s goal is to excel in the realm of search. Both have a clear objective in sight that they are committed to. But hard work isn’t enough to guarantee a NBA title or a successful product. In fact, studies in human resources management will tell you that teams work best when there is open communication, team cohesion, and opportunity for creativity.

Open communication on a basketball court or in an office setting entails honest and respectful verbal and non-verbal communication. Without open communication, individuals lack efficiency and clarity. Moreover, individuals may begin harbouring negative sentiments and can even turn to talking behind other team-mates’ backs. This can deeply affect the cohesion of relationships and therefore lead to conflicts that hinder performance. Coaches and leaders can encourage open communication by taking the time to facilitate conversations between team-mates to reflect on how the team is working together and to reiterate the common goal.

Team cohesion can be visualized as the sticky glue that bonds team-mates together in a positive, conducive manner. Team-mates lacking cohesion typically think individualistically without considering their counterparts. As a result, the final product becomes a jumble of fragmented ideas. Leaders and coaches can enhance team cohesion by investing time in team-building activities that create positive interactions between individuals. The activities will also help team-mates become familiar with each other’s personalities and working styles in order to reduce future conflicts.

Although often taking for granted, creativity can shape some of the best decisions and ideas for success. Consider Google’s assortment of app innovations. Who would have ever thought we would be able to see a complete street view of places thousands of miles away? Google’s creative minds did. By giving individuals a sense of empowerment and encouraging suggestions, coaches and leaders can grow a creative environment for ideas to thrive in. Whether it be a new way to approach a business problem or an improved play to drive the ball to the hoop, it all begins with an idea.

Aside from these three principles, what else do the Chicago Bulls and Google have in common? Both teams believe that “Great just isn’t good enough.” It’s about getting to the top of the mountain and then moving on to the next highest peak. For teams that embody this attitude, the sky isn’t even the limit.

1. Finding the Right Talent for your Team

No one can deny that talent is a huge factor in the success of a team. That’s why it is integral for human resources or coaches to sift through candidates to find the right people for the job. However, there can also be negative implications if you get the right individuals but place them in the wrong positions.

Imagine if Wally Buono, the BC Lions head coach, had placed the 2011 CFL MVP Travis Lulay in the position of a defensive tackle instead of a quarterback. Or if an employee with a Master’s degree in finance was only given tasks in the realm of marketing to perform. Not to say that he or she would not be able to complete the job well, but there is still a cost associated with inefficiency from great talent being put to waste.

Instead, coaches and employers should take the time to identify the skills and strengths of each individual and to pair them up with the necessary roles accordingly. The challenge may be in how to accurately identify talent. Interviews, resumes, references, tryouts, and past player stats obviously shed a great deal of insight on what a person is capable of. However, it may also help to simply observe the employee at work or even to get to know them casually to allow their personality traits to shine through.

I should also appropriately make a point here that personality is just as important as the right skills. Working in a team environment calls for cohesion and compatibility. Therefore coaches and employers should ensure that an individual fits the culture of the team in order to avoid personal conflicts.

Great talent with an apt personality may be hard to come by, but if a winning team is what you seek sometimes it’s worth it to hold out until you find it. Similar to what Jim Collins wrote in his award-winning book, Good to Great, great companies “start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.”

Stay tuned as the #Teambuilding series continues. We’ll be revealing more secrets to a winning team each week.

1) NEW Sports - CCV has added three amazing sports to the 2012 Games.

Badminton - Due to popular demand, CCV will be hosting a Badminton Tournament at the CCV 2012 Summer Games! Companies will play in a team format where the first game is played by men’s doubles, the second game by women’s doubles, and the last game by mixed doubles. Start practicing those drop shots and smashes and be a part of CCV’s first-ever Badminton Tournament at the Richmond Olympic Oval!

Table Tennis - CCV is thrilled to introduce Table Tennis as a new CCV 2012 Summer Games sport! Similar to Badminton, Table Tennis will also be played in a team format. Don’t miss out on CCV’s first Table Tennis Tournament!

Stationary GranFondo - Calling all Spin enthusiasts, CCV 2012 Summer Games has now included a Stationary Granfondo competition for all of you! Teams will pedal in an endurance relay race with the goal to travel the farthest distance. Participants will be cycling on the Richmond Olympic Oval’s state-of-the-art stationary bikes. Get pedalling!

Click for more details on each event.

2) Changes to Referees, Scheduling, and Competition Levels

Referees - After taking in the feedback from the 2011 Games, CCV has decided to make some critical changes to referees. Almost all 2012 events will be self-refereed as suggested by participants. CCV trusts participants to act honestly and responsibly when making their own calls and hopes that by allowing games to be self-refereed, teams will be encouraged to demonstrate sportsmanship. Although there will be no officials for some events, there will be games supervisors and score-keepers to ensure that the games run smoothly.

Scheduling - Last year’s Canucks playoff run caused some major last-minute changes to the scheduling of the tournaments. This year, CCV plans move most events into one PACKED weekend of FUN at the Richmond Olympic Oval! This will limit the number of days that the hockey playoff games will interfere with the CCV Summer Games. Moreover, we’re expecting participants to get more out of this one spectacular weekend. Company teams in different sports will be able to cheer on one another at the same venue! Furthermore, the CCV team hopes to improve communication with participants and provide clear and updated information regarding schedules. However, it will still be the responsibility of team captains to ensure that their team is aware of their game schedule.

Competition Levels - From last year’s participants, we understand that the competition levels varied substantially in some events. CCV understands that this gap can affect a participant’s experience significantly. For 2012, many of our sports will feature a two-tier playoff format where more competitive teams will advance through Tier 1 and more recreational teams will advance through Tier 2.

3) New Basketball Format - To improve one of CCV’s classic tournaments, we will be changing the format of play from 4-on-4 half-court play to 5-on-5 full-court play. We hope that participants will get an enhanced basketball experience with this change.

All in all, the CCV team is excited for the upcoming year and the new changes! Stay in touch with CCV on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.

We hope to see you all at the Corporate Champions Vancouver Summer Games 2012!

Like or dislike the new changes? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

Last Friday, CCV 2011 came to a close at BCIT as the last of eight sports wrapped up. The Indoor Soccer event displayed some of the most skilled and determined participants and after all was said and done, SFU Beedie School of Business was heralded as the first Indoor Soccer Champion of CCV.

Heading into quarterfinals, WorkSafeBC skillfully secured their position as the top seed. MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates followed closely behind, while SFU Beedie School of Business was seeded third overall after round robin games. The four top seeds, including Electronic Arts, easily advanced to semi-finals with decisive victories over their opponents.

Top seed, WorkSafeBC was set to play Electronic Arts once again for a shot at gold. The two had previously met as rivals in the same round robin division. By the end of the match, WorkSafeBC had once again solidified their standing as the stronger of the two teams with a 4-1 win. EA was sent into the bronze medal match.

On the other side, SFU Beedie School of Business had the challenging task of knocking out the MDA team in order to advance to championships. Neither teams had lost a single match throughout the entire tournament, but that was all about to change. The once impenetrable MDA team was struck down at their Achilles’ heel by the sharp players of the SFU team who won with four goals to two. Thus, the MDA team was set to play EA in the bronze medal match while SFU Beedie entered the championship match with WorkSafeBC.

At the onset of the bronze match, both MDA and EA appeared as equally-matched opponents. At the end of the first period, MDA and EA were tied at a solid 2-2. However, as the game progressed, the drive in the EA team came to light and the team aggressively stepped up their game. Outshot and outscored, MDA was obliged to accept fourth place as EA made their way to the podium off a 7-2 victory.

In the CCV Indoor Soccer final match, SFU—the champions of CCV 2011 Dodgeball, and WorkSafeBC—the champions of CCV 2011 Outdoor Soccer, both competed for a second gold medal to add to their collection.  Fifteen minutes into the first half of the match, SFU and WorkSafeBC were neck-and-neck at 1-1. With only a couple minutes left in the first period, SFU scored two more goals consecutively giving them a 3-1 advantage heading into the second period.

Unwilling to be silenced, WorkSafeBC responded with two goals in less than four minutes at the start of the second half, and not more than two minutes apart. Tied at three points a piece, both teams played impeccable defense and extraordinary offence in attempt to capture gold. Finally, with less than half to go in the second period, SFU sank their fourth goal, followed by a fifth to seize control of the match. As minutes turned to seconds, and seconds ran down on the clock, the horn sounded signaling the end of the match, the defeat of WorkSafeBC, and another golden moment for SFU Beedie School of Business.

Congratulations to the winners of each CCV 2011 event and a big thank you to all the participants that made it out this year. The Corporate Champions will be crowned this Saturday, June 25th at 11:00am to 2:30pm at the Wrap-Up Beach Party held at Locarno Beach. All CCV participants are invited and friends and family are welcome as well. There will be a BBQ with proceeds going towards the BC Cancer Foundation, in addition to beach volleyball nets. Bring a beach towel, a frisbee, and whatever else you need to complete your day at the beach! Please RSVP by Thursday, June 23rd to info@ccvancouver.ca.

Don’t forget to follow CC_Vancouver on Twitter and to check out CCV 2011 event photos on the Facebook page.

Overall, it was a great night for participants to bond with their teams, to mingle with other companies, and to show a little competitive spirit. After three thrilling games of bowling from each team, CCV was proud to announce the winners of the tournament. MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates took home the bronze, just edging out an OpenRoad Auto Group team and Clearly Contacts with a narrow margin. In the end, it was two OpenRoad Auto Group teams that took home both silver and gold, upping the total medal count for their company.

Over at BCIT, adrenaline was pumping as CCV 2011 Dodgeball double elimination playoffs commenced. Teams pulled out all the tricks they knew as they jumped, dove, slid—and most importantly, dodged, to advance to the championships.

As the night progressed, an underdog story was born: SFU Beedie School of Business who had lost their first playoff matches against the 13th seed, Impark, moved through the back-door bracket, winning six matches to bring them to the finals against the undefeated, Electronic Arts.

Although City of Vancouver fought hard to move into the championship round, they were swept aside by SFU and accepted a well-deserved bronze medal.

In the finals, Electronic Arts gained an early break advantage with a 2-1 lead in a best-of-five-games match. One game away from winning the title, SFU pummeled their way back to win the first match. However, because of the double elimination structure, SFU had to defeat EA in one more match before they could claim their gold medals. Sleeves rolled up, heart pumping, and sweat dripping—both teams laid down the rest of themselves to play at their very best. When all the dodgeballs finally rested peacefully on the ground and the battle had ceased, the only team left standing victoriously was SFU.

Congratulations to all of last night’s Champions! Tee-time for CCV 2011 Golf is tomorrow so come swing by Mayfair Lakes Golf Course to cheer on your team!

Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and photos!

On Saturday, teams played round robin matches in order to determine seeding into Tier 1 or Tier 2. Highlights from round robin matches include:

• Vancity Credit Union volleyball team defeating the Vancity Sustainable Wealth Management team 27-25 and 25-18.
• Fortis BC stealing the basketball game from MDA Systems in a close 32-29 match.

As matches drew to an end on Saturday, teams headed home to rest up for playoffs the following day.

Heading into playoffs, Rogers Communications was seeded in first place in the top tier of volleyball, while Electronic Arts was seeded as number one in basketball. Rogers blew through the first round of playoffs, but was challenged by PricewaterhouseCoopers in the quarter-finals. Taking PwC to the third set and finally finishing them 15-8, Rogers advanced to semi-finals to meet MacDonald, Dettwiler & Associates (team 3). Unable to stop last year’s CCV 2011 volleyball champions, MDA stepped aside, making way for another MDA team (team 1) to attempt to de-throne the Rogers team in the finals. The championship match was riveting to say the least, and Rogers eventually came out victorious with only the slimmest of margins: 25-20 and 25-22.

OpenRoad Auto Group beat MDA Team 3 to win bronze in Tier 1. In Tier 2, Mountain Equipment Co-op defeated City of Vancouver in order to claim gold.

In basketball, Electronic Arts quickly set the tone with their high-scoring games. The EA team played hard, knocking out team after team in playoffs in order to meet Radical Entertainment, another prospective contender, in the Tier 1 championships. The thrilling final match was bursting with adrenaline. As the second period drew to an end, EA stole gold from Radical Entertainment’s grasp with a three point lead.

The bronze medal winner of Tier 1 was Fortis BC, who defeated Sage. The Tier 2 winner of CCV 2011 Basketball was City of Vancouver.

We are now half-way into CCV 2011! Make sure to check out your photos on Corporate Champion Vancouver’s Facebook page and to tune into CCV’s Twitter (cc_vancouver) for the latest updates!

Congratulations to CCV 2011’s circle of winners and thank you to our participants, our volunteers, Business in Vancouver, and the Richmond Olympic Oval! Come check out CCV 2011 Dodgeball and Indoor Go-Kart Racing at BCIT and TBC today!