Glass Walking – Fire Eating

Team building and Team identity with Zirkusfabrik (Circus Factory) in Cologne

Team: Sales Division Manager/Sales Managers as well as Back Office of a corporation (I shall be happy to quote a reference if this interests you)

Duration: 2 days, divided into: start ½ day of glass walking and fire eating in Zirkusfabrik Cologne, followed by 1½ days of transfer of the experiences made in Zirkusfabrik to the team’s issues.

Information on Zirkusfabrik Köln: Zirkusfabrik offers all aspects of a circus – from acrobatics to glass walking. Both fire eating and glass walking can take place either on their premises in Cologne or any other seminar room.

Starting Point

The sales team was successfully working together on a very high level. Their situation could be compared to FC Bayern, where merely not winning a championship is already considered a lack of success. Due to increasing demand and a constant dynamic of more and more new tasks, awareness of the team’s strength as well as celebrating its achievements had been neglected for some time.

There had been many changes within the team, where ‚old hands‘ worked alongside with ’newcomers‘. In addition, a lot of transformation was going on within the company, including staff reduction. Both management and team had left their esprit and their desire to succeed in the dust. The assignment deliberately included elements with an event quality as well as a transfer to the team’s issues. The specific aim of this program was to

Approach and First Draft

Community can be supportive, and belonging to a strong team both motivates and gives strength – especially when there are many external challenges. The more team members feel emotionally involved, the more they will get involved with the team’s sustainability, supporting each other as individuals, and with the company. Shared adventures as well as extraordinary experiences connect the team and produce new energy for mutual success. The two-day workshop combines adventure, reviving openness and transparency within the team, as well as practical work on the team’s identity. Participants identify strengths and weaknesses in how they work together, work out mutual expectations and reflect on the integration of the team into the company as well as its role there. Learning together as well as supporting each other help to come together as a team once again, backing one another as sparring partner in the daily job routine.

During their visit to Zirkusfabrik Köln, participants overcome individual limitations as they walk on glass and eat fire, going beyond their comfort zone. They find out how much can be achieved and which attitude proves helpful in doing so.

Please get in touch so that together we might evaluate the further contents of such a teambuilding program for your team.

By now I have accompanied a number of clients through varying processes together with Zirkusfabrik Köln. The teams came from different starting points, including a lack of success.

Feedbacks and Implementations of the Processes

Teamwork has improved tremendously.
Following the seminar, conflicts that were already being dealt with on the level of the works council, were now resolved within the team.
Images gained in the experience as well as their subsequent transfer into practise are remembered and applied repeatedly.
The will to succeed and to sustain and enhance success has improved tremendously.
"We have expanded our success."
Overcoming personal limitations through glass walking and fire eating was the defining moment for practically trying out more new things and getting involved.
"We can once again believe in what we know and how good we are."
"We now know which team member has which strengths and how we can make use of them."
Apppreciating and supporting each other have greatly improved.
"I am once again proud to be working for this company."