Small land development company, Watsons, take a different approach to building a successful business. Engineering Project Manager, Dan Kennedy and his team from Mornington, focus on team building exercises and regularly implement activities into the workplace to improve communication within the business. As part of this experience, Dan and the team at Watsons recently tackled the 16+KM Tough Mudder obstacle challenge for the first time which was held at St Anne’s Winery, Myrniong in October.
Kennedy said the key to working in a great company is more than just hard work, “Our business requires many different roles and services from surveyors to engineers and project managers to town planners so working together is essential. We’re all quite active at Watsons and regularly enter corporate events to encourage teamwork and camaraderie.
“Quite a few of us had always thought about doing Tough Mudder and after receiving a fantastic response, I registered a team of 20 from the office. Tough Mudder is the perfect fit for our business, we share the same core values where no man or woman is left behind.”
Like Tough Mudder, there are workplace challenges and obstacles that staff need to work together to complete and overcome. Kennedy found that his crew approached the course in the same way, with many discussing tactics and strategy together in the lead up to the event and implementing them on the day.
“We all get along quite well, having worked with one another for so long but we also believe building a great relationship with the people you work with is important considering the amount of time you spend with your colleagues,” added Kennedy.
Taking yourself out of your comfort zone can be quite intimidating, but it is also rewarding overcoming a challenge as a team. Over the years, Watsons have participated in team events such as corporate triathlons and even created their own footy and cricket matches, but this is the first time they’ve done anything like this before.
“We had so much fun completing the course together. Tough Mudder definitely helped us with our team building and leadership skills, pushed our boundaries and helped us set new goals for us to achieve in the future. Although we were a team of 20, we split into four groups of five to manage each obstacle more easily and as a result there’s actually a bit of healthy competitiveness coming into it. We also had team mates that weren’t so keen before the day, already asking about next year’s Tough Mudder event. It’s certainly created a lot of excitement in the office this past week,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy believes it’s important to reward staff members by involving them in activities like Tough Mudder, because it gives them the opportunity to bond and achieve something unrelated to work, together. Many of the employees at Watsons have been with the company for over 15 years and are all quite close. An enjoyable working environment starts with a good work culture and Watsons will continue to look for other group challenges to take on and sign up for Tough Mudder round two.
