Corporate Team Building

April 16, 2009

In January of this year, we found ourselves underground on multiple days exploring the depths of an unexplored cave passage in Northern Thailand.  Our goal during that expedition was to exit without any injuries and push the cave as far as we could.  When Marshall, Ted and I stood at the top of yet another 10 meter abseil (we were already 240 meters below the ground), we struggled with the reality that it was time to turn back.  We had run out of equipment and come to the agreed turn around time in order to exit before dark.  It was obvious there was more cave to explore, more to learn, and the potential of exiting in Burma.  We turned around, de-rigged our equipment and met our goals.  The trip was a success.

On April 10, 2009, we returned to the cave.  Our team consisted of CMRCA team members Josh, Taw, Kat, Phi, Ben and Ted.  We were joined by Thailand legend John Spies from Cave Lodge and Australian cave diver Paul Hosie.  Our plan was to push the cave as far as it would go.  We had looked on google earth and expected the cave to exit in Burma!  John accused us of using that to lure him into the trip later.  On the afternoon of the 10th, Josh, Taw, Kat, Phi, Ben and Ted shuttled gear into the cave and began to rig the series of large rappels for a fast assault the following day.  We exited the cave at 21.00 and met John and Paul at the Happy House (our home away from home).

On the morning of April 11th at 10.00, we entered the monstrous river passage, climbed through mountains of bat guano and reached the first rappel.  Over the next three hours, we negotiated 8 meter, 21 meter, 40 meter and 60 meter rappels  until we reached the cave floor.  Meeting on the cave floor, we came to an agreement that we would return to the base of the rappels within 20 hours.  We each had a small mat to sleep on, food for 24 hours and water filtration.

19 December, 2008

It's not every day that failure means plummeting 60 meters off a dark and unknown cliff and winding up severely injured, a kilometer underground.  That was the case for us as we pushed virgin cave passage in Northern Thailand.  Our team of Josh Morris, Noppadon Uppakham, Ted Conbeer and Marshall Balick spent three full days underground near Pha Daeng village.  Our goal was to push as far as we could while also ensuring that no one was hurt and no equipment was left behind.  To achieve a goal like this in difficult conditions requires a strong team dynamic.

We used the tools that we teach to ensure our goal was met.  We began by identifying the expectations of each team member.  This created an awareness among the team of what was necessary to ensure individual success for each team member.  This enabled us to use the GRRIP model to identify our team Goals, Roles, Resources, Interactions and Process.  With a framework in place, each time we were faced with a challenging issue, we were able to evaluate the situation in relation to our goal and this allowed swift decision making which resulted in overall safety and success.

While we met our overall goal, we also found success and inspiration in every corner of the experience.  It took us three days and multiple attempts to reach the bottom of the cave.  It was worth it.  We were dazzled by 1 million year old cave pearls, glittery flow stones, and massive caverns filled with bats.  There is still much to explore and we will return to the cave shortly.  Our first trip there allowed us to step into the growth zone and challenge ourselves to overcome new obstacles.  Our next trip will certainly provide new challenges and force us to use the tools and continue to develop our team best practices and ensure success.

Posted by: Josh Morris