When it comes to life in and out of the mud, the strength of one is nothing compared to the power of a team. Nobody knows that better than Aflac Small Business Challenge Winners and Tough Mudder Twin Cities Finishers, Great Lakes Communications Corporation (GLCC). With Tough Mudder’s full lineup of team-oriented obstacles like Block Ness Monster, Hero Carry, and Skidmarked, this crew knows that whether it’s through a helping hand or an extra vote of confidence, your teammates are there for you every muddy step of the way.
We asked the GLCC team what they think every Tough Mudder team needs to remember on and off the course to be stronger, tougher, better. They had these 7 tips:
1. Be prepared
“Most of the things that people are worried about are things that they have little or no control over. So, you have to prepare for a variety of situations. As a small business we know that there will always be obstacles in our path, the key is to use teamwork to accomplish the task and reach beyond our wildest dreams to do things other companies and teams can’t or won’t.”
2. Be open-minded.
“Our boss, Josh, gives everyone the freedom to work towards their full potential. If they want to try a new direction, he listens and encourages them. In and out of the mud, we put our teammates in positions that capitalize on their individual strengths in order to maximize potential for our team.”
3. Make deeper connections with your teammates.
“We get to know our co-workers on a deeper level. We meet their families, learn about their interests, heartaches and successes outside the job. We bring in our children and grandchildren to spend time with us on the job. We truly see our teammates as our extended family. Most importantly, we learn to work together better by understanding where the other person is coming from.”
4. Always lend a helping hand.
“Whether it’s an outrageous medical bill, a death in the family, no childcare, moving to a new home, climbing Everest 2.0 or scaling Pyramid Scheme, we know we can rely on each other. Someone always has your back and is willing to lend a supportive shoulder.”
5. Come together to overcome.
“Most of our team trains together at a local gym 3 times a week. That core group encourages everyone to join them in their Mudder journey. Everyone is very supportive and asks how everyone else’s training is coming. Come Tough Mudder Twin Cities, some of us had injuries, some of us were a little out of shape, while others were ready to take on the course full speed. But everyone came together to encourage, wait for, help and push the team forward throughout the course. It was awesome to see the strong ones pull and sometimes carry the weaker ones.”
6. Work hard and play hard.
“We celebrate birthdays monthly with fun events like Tough Mudder, go-carts, or potlucks. And we try to outdo each other with funny t-shirt sayings. Jokes are always a must! They make every work and mud obstacle doable.”
7. Remember: failure is not a bad thing.
“We don’t dwell on failures, we learn from them.”
Are you and your co-workers ready to take your team to the next level? Enter the Aflac Small Business Challenge HERE. For more information on Aflac Products and Services CLICK HERE.
