RESOURCEFULNESS

"It’s not about your resources, it’s about your resourcefulness." — Tony Robbins

All Companies Have Culture

Some are very intentional about creating the culture they want to have; others have a culture by default of who is on the team and how they are allowed to behave. Resources do not make the difference between great cultures and terrible cultures, it’s what companies do with their resources that makes the difference. Your company has gone through the work to be intentional about culture and once that culture has been established, it’s critical that it is protected by the leaders within the organization. While it can be tempting to compare what you have, to what other companies have, it’s important to remember that you have gotten to this point by utilizing what was available to you. This exercise will take your team through a fun challenge that demonstrates resourcefulness and protection.

Exercise: Egg Drop Challenge

GOAL

Using limited resources, build protection around an egg so that it won’t break when dropped from height.

LOGISTICS

Gather various supplies that will be used to protect the egg and place them on a “resource table” (suggested list attached). You will need six items for each team so if you have 4 teams, make sure to have at least 24 items. You can have more than one of some of the items as well, they don’t all need to be different.

Split your group into teams of 3-5 participants.
Give each team an egg and have them draw numbers to determine the order for the supply draft
Start with team one and allow them to select one item from the resource table
Continue to allow teams to select items in the draft order until each team has six items.
Announce that teams will have 10 minutes to construct the protection around their eggs and tell teams to begin. Set time for 10 minutes.
Give a notice at the halfway point, then again at 1 min left, 30 seconds and do a five second countdown.
Take turns having teams drop their egg from a second story or a ladder to the ground, see which teams were able to successfully protect their egg.

SUPPLY LIST

Roll of scotch tape
Masking tape
Balloons
Pack of cotton balls
Rubber bands
String
Plastic bag
Pair of scissors
Straws
Cocktail Napkins
Paper cups
Cardboard tube
Plastic or paper straws
Get creative and find/use miscellaneous items in your kitchen/warehouse/office/etc!

*OPTIONAL VARIATION

Create an auction where teams are given 20-30 minutes that they can use to bid on items from the table. Whatever time they have left will be the time they have to assemble their resources to protect the egg. This adds a fun element where teams are competing for items, but also must weigh the value of the item vs. lost time.

Discussion Questions:

If we think of the egg as our company culture, the lesson is that we must protect it with the resources we have available. Have a discussion among your team with the following questions about protecting your culture.

What does our “egg” (culture) look like? (What is it that we are trying to protect?)

What do we currently do to protect the company culture we’ve set out to create?

What steps can we take to reinforce our culture to make it stronger?

What resources do we have that are unique to us that can help us continue to protect what we’ve built?

Where else in our company do we demonstrate resourcefulness?

How can we be even more resourceful with what we have?

April 2024