“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.”
Modern workspaces where cubicles could be deemed as the kingdom of a working professional and work deadline as the chasing dragon, what is dreaded here is the word ‘training’ or ‘team building activities’. An eye roll here, a boring yawn there, and an attitude that conveys ‘nothing much fruitful’! But what if these team building activities are real interesting challenges where you discover a treasure trove of growth opportunities lying beneath the surface?
Gone are the days when team building activities were dreaded and employees would squander away their time. The team building activities we conduct are a chance to strengthen the team bonds, and employee engagement and form meaningful connections. These seemingly mundane training are a thing of the past and we have potential for something that would pave the way forward for your team’s growth.
If you are looking for some unconventional team building activities for teams and organizations then your search ends here. Hold your breath as we unravel an adventurous, adrenaline-pumping activity that will not just challenge your employees but also enable them to conquer their lurking fears.
Presenting the ‘Broken Glass Walk’ activity that sounds perilous yet has the power to challenge teams to push further and overcome their fears. To say it is life-transforming is no exaggeration, for once you realize that you have barefoot accomplished the broken glass you can just about tackle any professional hurdle that life throws your way.
What may initially seem like a daunting feat with participants walking barefoot on broken glass is actually a treasure trove of life lessons waiting to be explored. It is an employee engagement and team building activity that is equal parts adventurous, and adrenaline-pumping yet scary and drives people to overcome their limiting beliefs and fears.
The broken glass walk has proven to be a positive team building activity for employees that promotes confidence, trust building, and risk-taking ability of the team. The broken glass walk opens new ways of thinking, challenging the preconceived limiting notions of the mind and helping employees be motivated and ‘challenge ready’ for the future. This is one of the best team building activities for employees that would equip them for the future in ways they won’t even realize what they are capable of. The employee engagement and experiential learning gained through the Broken Glass walk are some of the best ones derived from the various team-building activities out there.
Looking Through Mindset and Perceptions
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.”
Before we explore the life lessons one can learn from walking on broken glass let us understand the intricacies of mindset and perception that humans have as a result of our belief system and the assumptions we live with. Let’s decode this mystery of human behavior. Our belief system is a work of years of conditioning that involves an intricately woven web of thoughts and convictions that together build our mindset. It can better be described as an operating system that dictates how we interpret the world and situations around us. The blueprint of the beliefs we carry determines whether we see any challenge as an insurmountable mountain or as a thrilling adventure. Add to it assumptions that have been lurking like gremlins in your subconscious and you have a recipe ready for perceptions that don’t see the light of day.
Perception is literally defined as “the way in which something is regarded, understood, and interpreted.” Your perception is acquired through the thoughts you believe in while growing up, the values your family and culture believe in, and the different stakeholders in your life whom you witnessed. By observing, listening, absorbing, and practicing one forms perceptions and a belief system as one grows up into an adult. So whether you believe that you would be able to accomplish any of the team building activities or whether the broken glass walk is going to be your next accomplishment it is all about your mindset.
The human mindset tends to function this way because it absolutely adores the ‘comfort zone’. Whenever you are faced with self-doubt, challenge, or failure it results in ‘assuming’ something as trying to do the task differently or putting in more effort feels tiring and more challenging. As humans, one subconsciously attributes the failure to a preconceived assumption and limited perception of the situation, thus many times not taking any action and being in the ‘comfort zone’. This leaves zero scope for growth as one uses crutches of perception and comfort in the status quo.
Broken Glass Walk Experience
What really one achieves in attempting the broken glass walk is fighting self-belief. When your team is tasked with the challenge of walking on broken glass they may find it quite absurd at first on the basis of their mindset and perception. Some may even find it impossible to attempt or are scared of getting hurt. Self-doubt becomes dominant in this situation and dominates the self here.
But it is exactly this preconceived notion that gets shattered like broken glass with each step they take forward. Fear gnaws deeper and reluctance is on a high, however, there is a magical shift with every cautious step. The team faces their fear head-on, breaking away from their illusions of the belief system they had self-imposed. Their self-doubt vanishes and they start thinking and participating proactively to safely cross the path of broken glass laid out in front of them and reach the end of it successfully.
In no time you would witness that the glass beneath the feet is no longer a barrier rather it acts as the bridge to their newfound resilience and beaming confidence.
But wait, there’s more to it. It isn’t just the personal exploration and transformation that happens through this team building activity there is something much more remarkable that you have been aiming for all along – team bonding! When the mind opens up to embrace the challenge, the team coordination begins. The broken glass walk sees your team transform from an apprehensive and fearful group to a robust and peppy team that has a unique camaraderie and deep bonding. What started as a team building activity for employees culminates into a life-changing experience for the teams and organization. They experience the power of self-awareness, coordination, and balance empowering each other in the process.
Beneath the surface of reluctance lies an endless world of possibilities waiting to be explored. Embracing the challenge and confronting the fears makes the team go from reluctance to resilience.
Life Lessons from Broken Glass Activity
This eye-popping team building activity called Broken Glass Walk offers some insightful life lessons:
Facing Fear and Uncertainty
Life is laden with challenges and uncertainties and it is easy to succumb to it. When your self-doubt holds you captive and you find it comforting to hold the status quo shrinking back in fear, it is then only that you need to face the situation head-on. As you step onto the bed of broken glass shards you stare at your fears in the face and burn away the self doubt. It teaches you to embrace the unknown, out of trust in your ability, and keep marching ahead despite all odds. You are actually tapping into your inner reservoir of courage hidden deep down, which even you were unaware of.
As each participant takes the first few steps reluctantly they experience sharing, trusting, and team building like never before. It is no longer about self-doubt or self-achievement, as the individuals realize it is the encouragement of otters that drives them forward and inspires them as well. They join hands to support and encourage each other.
Collaboration and Support
In testing times, as teams embark on their journey of broken glass walk, one could witness the bonds, employee engagement, and team building. It is no longer an individual feat where self-doubt is crushed and fears are laid to rest, it becomes a team effort as hands reach out to steady one another, words of encouragement echo through and a collective effort shines through.
This unique team building activity is a testament to how alliances are forged, a support network is built and employee engagement comes to the fore effortlessly.
You would be amazed to witness how this team building activity leads your team to uplift each other through the broken glass walk as each participant takes up the challenge. By leaning on each other they amplify their strengths and overcome the struggles that initially appeared arduous. This unique team building activity also puts participants on the path of personal growth where they come out of their self-doubt and inhibitions.
Cultivating Resilience
When you least expect it, life throws a curveball your way. It might be a sudden setback at work, a personal crisis, or a financial pitfall. However, your ability to bounce back through such times when adversity strikes hard is what makes you stand out from others. The broken glass walk is exactly the activity that makes you go through a ubiquitous difficult path weathering shards of broken glass, where you are scared of stepping on one and cutting yourself to bleed to taking that step where you accomplish it confidently. It teaches you not just to face your fears and weather the storm but to harness your inner power and cultivate resilience. The broken glass walk activity is a team building activity for employees that enables them to emerge stronger, better, and more resilient than ever. There is a sense of triumph and you can almost sense it in the air as your team breaks out into applause for each other and a sense of camaraderie and employee engagement that is rare to cultivate. You would witness an ever-permeating team bonding and connectedness among your team post the broken glass walk.
Celebrating Milestones
Have you ever been in a situation where you just moved from milestone to milestone without actually realizing how far you have come? As much as achieving milestones are important, equally crucial is acknowledging and celebrating them. The broken glass walk is a thundering reminder to celebrate the grit, gumption, and courage that you exhibit for every step that you take in life. It doesn’t matter whether you finally win or lose, what is important is the fact that you were bold enough to face your fears and try to overcome them. During the broken glass activity, whether the participants reach the finishing line unscathed or get along halfway, is a testimony to the teamwork and employee engagement that unfurls as the teams learn major life lessons.
The broken glass team building activity also involves participants acknowledging and celebrating their achievements, inspiring each other to push harder and reach for the stars. As the activity ends they depart with a newfound sense of purpose and a fresh perspective.
Embracing Growth and Transformation
The broken glass activity isn’t just a team building activity for employees, it is a journey of growth and transformation. It is a gentle reminder that our greatest triumphs arise from our darkest times. When your team feels that the challenge is too difficult, it is in those very moments that opening up to possibilities and embracing the challenge will lead to growth and transformation. The setbacks or the obstacles are not a hindrance rather they put the team on the path of growth and transformation. It is this journey from the difficult to the final embracement and clearing the pathway that leads to development.
Listen Carefully
Listening is an indispensable part of communication. Listen to people who are more experienced than you. Pay attention to the important tips and take lessons from others’ experiences. You might miss something crucial before accomplishing the broken glass walk and may end up learning the hard way. Any team building activity for employees relies to a large extent on the team that is carrying it out. It is therefore imperative for the members to listen carefully, strategize, plan, and then traverse their path toward success.
These are some crucial life lessons one can learn from walking on broken glass, which exemplify real-life precarious situations and is a great activity not just for employee engagement but team building as well.
There are a lot of team building activities out there, however, few have the power to rival the transformative power that the broken glass activity harnesses. When teams go through fear and uncertainty it is only then that adversity is channeled into collaboration and support for each other through this team building activity for employees.
It is the relevance of this challenging experience that the broken glass walk appears equal parts scary and challenging. However, it is one team building activity that shatters all notions in real life as well that you may have. Your perceptions and belief barriers are not just taken care of but pushed aside as if they have existed. The participants also understand that the ‘negativity including belief system’ is reduced and removed with this team building activity. They become aware and sensitized of their self-doubt and perceptions and also of the immense potential they hold as individuals and the might they can draw as a strong team. With this newfound knowledge and self-awareness in tow, your team is now ready to move mountains and face any challenging situations that the business might throw at them in the future.
By investing in your team you actually invest in your business and are able to achieve long-term goals and vision of the organization better. Your team members start taking responsibility for their own actions and find themselves to be more accountable and develop a deeper connection with each other. They are able to understand that in order to tackle new challenges they have to let go of the old belief barriers and walk through unknown territory. The broken glass walk reinstills the human belief of rising above the situations that are mounting before you and working unitedly as a team. It is through such team building activities that you are able to break barriers of not just thoughts but actions and let go of inhibitions. Both the teams and the employees feel the change at a personal level and become ‘challenge ready’.
Of all the employee engagement activities for employees, if you have to pick one for your team, the broken glass walk is the numero uno challenge for your team and employees. A team building activity that is bound to make your employees change from the inside out, despite all the initial fears, self-doubt, and hiccups that they face. It is in moments of discomfort and fear that humans are known to go bold and often make a mark, achieving the unachievable.
As participants call it a day after attempting the broken glass walk they walk boldly with a newfound purpose and belief. ‘They came, they saw, they conquered’, not just the glass shard under their feet but their own inner fears and doubts.
