The Value of Team Building
July 27, 2011 by Darren Trumeter · 4 Comments
Building strong relationships at work, better known as team building, is important. Team building in a small, fast paced, high-pressure software company is critical; it helps provide a foundation to create a sustainable, high-performing company. Last week I participated in my first Nomadesk team-building event with our European office and once again, I was convinced that the value of such events far outweighs the minimal investment.
The team building exercise (organized by Lesley, our superstar Office Manager) consisted of a Vespa tour (every employee riding their own Vespa) from Brugge, Belgium to the coast, a mussel lunch (we were served a bucket of mussels each and most of us ate them all!), sailcarting on the beach, and a great dinner. It was an entire day and we smiled, laughed, and competed with each other in a social setting away from the office.
There is something about scooting on a Vespa or navigating a sailcart that triggers a permanent smile. The sailcarts added risk and uncertainty as flying across the beach at 50kph seems very fast, especially when you must turn on a dime and hope you don’t flip your cart. I did come in first in the final sailcart race (since I was allowed to ride with the instructor, a former professional racer, so it wasn’t quite fair).
My quick review of the sailcart experience…
Got the tire off the ground!
For the record, I was initially paired with Lesley (before joining forces with the instructor) and learned a quick lesson. Do not let someone learn how to steer a sailcart while going 50kph, as we switched duties (me to rope and Lesley to steering), and it resulted in running through 4 feet of ocean water. We got soaked and laughed so hard we had to stop just to catch our breath! I still have a hard time believing Steven and Kenny (two of our super Developers) got wet on purpose, as they claim, and yes, I was a little jealous that Dustin (product UX and Designer) got the fast Vespa. Kenneth (our newest employee, Developer) gets points for being the only one to try sail-carting alone, and Daisy (Inside Sales) was wise to abandon John’s (SVP of Marketing) crazed need for speed. Filip (founder, GM EMEA) and Peter (founder, COO) made for a very fast team that obviously knows how to work well together, and Nico and Bart (two more of our super Developers) win most improved as they went from slowest to quite speedy. The main lesson from sail carting for me – ‘stealing wind’ – as you could easily witness the difference of gaining access to the wind before others.
I expect the bonds formed while on the Vespa’s and in the sale carts will transfer to a stronger, more trusting team in the office. These events are too frequently overlooked as frivolous and without a measurable ROI. That view is shortsighted and flawed. Real “people” time is invaluable. It allows for the development or strengthening of relationships and trust. I believe this is the foundation of high performing teams.
I constantly focus on improving the overall quality and teamwork of the Nomadesk company. This has been a great year for Nomadesk thanks to the years of hard work put in by an exceptional group of people. Our success makes it especially timely to get out of the office and use the time to recharge and share a few laughs. As I’m apparently known for being demanding, the pressure can sometimes create tension amongst employees, so these events can help the team recognize that in the end, we all want to work for a successful company with people we enjoy.
My take – we had a great time and memories we will surely keep with us for a long time. It gave us time with our team that was worth every penny. Next outing is a ski trip tied to 2011 performance, we can’t wait…
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- Got the tire off the ground!
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- Nomadesk team on a Vespa tour
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- The group chowing down on Mussels
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- Team photo before Vespa tour
Nomadesk Selected As A Red Herring Top 100 Europe Tech Startup
May 22, 2010 by Filip Tack · Leave a Comment
Paris, France – Red Herring announced its Top 100 Award in recognition of the leading private companies from Europe, celebrating these startups’ innovations and technologies across their respective industries.
Red Herring’s Top 100 Europe list has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising new companies and entrepreneurs. Red Herring editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Skype, Salesforce.com, YouTube, and eBay would change the way we live and work.
“Choosing the companies with the strongest potential was by no means a small feat,” said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. “After rigorous contemplation and discussion, we narrowed our list down from hundreds of candidates from across Europe to the Top 100 Winners. We believe Nomadesk embodies the vision, drive and innovation that define a successful entrepreneurial venture. Nomadesk should be proud of its accomplishment, as the competition was very strong.”
Red Herring’s editorial staff evaluated the companies on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, management quality, strategy, and market penetration. This assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the track record and standing of startups relative to their sector peers, allowing Red Herring to see past the “buzz” and make the list a valuable instrument of discovery and advocacy for the most promising new business models in Europe.
Nomadesk Pitches At The European Venture Summit
November 17, 2009 by Filip Tack · Leave a Comment
120 award-winning high tech companies converge on Düsseldorf at the European Venture Summit … Nomadesk is one of them.
Ok, I guess it is pitching season again. Pitching the story of one’s company, is one of the most important tasks a startup CEO has to perform. He or she has to be ready and good at it all of the time. Whether it is a short “elevator pitch” (especially then!) or a more elaborate company pitch (at some VC’s “shoot-out“), hard-earned experience has taught me that you can’t leave anything up to chance. That’s why I take almost every opportunity to hone the Nomadesk pitch – “It’s an illness“, my colleagues at Nomadesk would say.
For instance, I literally practiced the Nomadesk elevator pitch in the PlugAndPlayTechCenter elevator, because delivering a convincing pitch does not come all that naturally. The pitch takes only 40 sec., just enough to keep somebody entertained while cruising a couple of floors.
Actually, pitching skills don’t come natural to most (startup) CEO’s. This became apparent during the semi-finals of the European Venture Contest last week in Luxembourg. No offense, but some pitches were not good at all. So, how can you expect to convince a jury, let alone an investor, when business models remain nebulous and the body-language oozes “insecurity” all over the place? Well you don’t!
So, how do you get better at it? Here are three things I did:
- Take a course on developing presentation skills. Make sure you are video taped and watch this tape a lot. It is an eery experience but very revealing in terms of body-language, “la Tourette“, etc.
- When it comes down to developing the elevator or investor pitch, seek professional help. Not a “shrink”, but someone who has been there before. I worked with the GuideWire Group on this. Also, events like the ones by e-unlimited (in Europe) are good to hone the pitch. I’m sure there’s plenty people out-there who can assist.
- Then simple go out and pitch, pitch, pitch… because practice makes perfect (and less nervous)!
Once you get the hang of it, pitching becomes a sport, in which you constantly seize the level of intrest in the audience. You look for the “approving” nods (i.e., great) or the bedazzeled faces (i.e., not so great). So, that’s what happen throughout the pitch I gave in front of the jury during the semi-finals of the European Venture Contest. It was a pretty challenging environment, being confronted with a 10 person jury and a tough Q&A in the aftermath.
Nomadesk made it and I will be in Düsseldorf on November 30th. You are very welcome to the Nomadesk pitch.
Here are some press reports about the EEVC Luxembourg: