The British Bleriot Cup Team.

At the beginning of September the British Bleriot Cup Team began their 2007campaign and the defence for the 3rd consecutive year of the Bleriot Cup.  Incidentally it is also Elementals 4th year in providing support and direct involvement in the formation and development of the British Paragliding Team.

 The event got under way in Corrèze, France and although the weather did not exactly play ball a 4^th successive victory for the British Team has now been realised.  

For further information and Event report .

Well done to all who were involved

Our involvement and contribution 

 We understood early on, that to do well in this type of event the same fundamental principles that we promote in our Accelerated Team Development events with our clients would have a greater impact than just selecting the best pilots for the pre-selected pool.

 Since we have been involved, we have aimed to place a greater emphasis upon the areas which we see at providing the competitive edge, beginning with;

 An Individual's fit and overall mind-set is of greater importance than merely raw talent (Don’t misunderstand though; all these pilots have a level of talent, which brought them to the attention of the team selectors in the first place). However we believe that it is important that all members of any forming team develop a clear sense of purpose and identity. Establishing the norms of behaviour that are advantageous to the intention and purpose of the team is vital – There is no room for the prim-a-donna, everybody has an equal value. Although this is easy to write, in practice the ego has to be managed with care and consideration. The sport of Paragliding is largely a sport of individuals who are very competitive with themselves and often others. It is crucial that individuals can see the team game and demonstrate the propensity to adapt even if this means sacrificing their own needs for the benefit of the team. (If this is the case – recognition must be given).

 The importance of a strong and disciplined unit is vital in commanding the physiological game. No matter how good and self regulated a group of individuals are, a well-organised and supportive manager will add value. We have been keen to encourage and support not only the active use of a team manager, who can act as team champion during inter-team negotiations, taking some of the ‘heat’ out of the captains’ role but is also  someone who has the respect and authority should firm action if required.

 As important as the team manager is, intra team discipline is vital – Contributing to the establishment of Team behaviours which lead to Team-spirit and belief. The old adage of success breeds success is true, though we have to be on guard against complacency. The 2007 team felt the pressures of not wanting to let others down. This balance between pressure and support is something which we have recognised as a fundamental skill of management and  in successful team development.

 A basic skill often overlooked is the ability to communicate with others with simplicity and clarity; and although it has long been recognised the value in which radio communications bring to the Bleriot team. In practice individuals setups have been often clumsy or ineffective (embarrassingly this was once the case with mine). The ability to connect with others and relay important information down the course is vital to the tactical gamesmanship of events like these.  A critical skill which is much talked about, yet not often refined - it still surprises me how poor the French Teams’ setups have been. Often in business and like here in the past the emphasis has been on the purpose of union rather than in cultivating more productive means of getting your message across. Good clear factual information helps build strategies to win. Open and clear communication channels encourage greater interaction and sense of belonging and  identity.  
 

Team Identity 
It is a known fact when a sports team has a strong, healthy team identity - They win games! Although it may seem a overly simplistic solution of having a team-strip, an accessible and visible team identity promotes clear benefits; people are generally more willing to go the extra mile for one of their own; people tend to feel a sense of ownership over and pride in their work, and a sense of loyalty and responsibility to one another, their leadership and the group as a whole. Developing Team identity in this context is something we are still keen to develop. Through our emergent successful history we have got a sense of an elite and dedicated group and with an expanding ‘alumni’ of experience, others are now keen to join and contribute to future success.

Team Review

 It is vital for a team to reflect upon what has been achieved and identify any points for concern.

 The sport of paragliding is infamous for it’s ‘there I was stories...’ It is important to recognise the existing norms of behaviour and utilise them wherever possible. Getting a pilot to reflect on there own day is relatively simple. We have been keen to encourage a structured debrief at the end of each day to reflect not only upon the task and it outcomes ,but also to provide a platform to share the perceptions of others; with the aim to distinguish what the team is doing well as a unit and therefore continue, as well as generating alternatives to protect the integrity of the team ,should there be a situation which exploits any team weakness.

 This has proved to be a critical element to the Team’s success.  These competitors are matching themselves to a greater extent against the fickle weather as they are against their opposite number and with such a variable as this in the equation the importance of doing well at the first given opportunity, provides a team with as much of a psychological lever as it does any other. If the weather does not play ball ,the pressure mounts on the opposition exposing their own team weaknesses in the process. We actively encourage each team member to be properly prepared for the job, so that when the first opportunity to task; the only concern on each of their minds should be the tactics for the day. Sounds simple but if an individual is unorganised and or unprepared he cannot contribute his all to the team’s objective. Poor preparation on part of the individual, reflects upon the team and undermines the other building blocks of the team building process.

 The establishment of these  simple Team building fundamentals has definitely contributed in some way to the success of the team however this last fundamental has we think contributed more to the overall success of the British Team.

Inter-team dependency

 No team can do it alone there is always somewhere a form of dependency or requirement for inter-team cooperation. The Bleriot Cup is no different as each Nation is represented by two teams of a different discipline (Hang gliding and Paragliding). Co-operation and close working is vital as it is the combined scores of both disciplines which determine a nation’s score for the day. Here like some businesses have, there has been some historical baggage co-operation has not always been actively fostered resulting at best with a disjointed front and at worst Inter- team competition.

 We have worked hard to break down these barriers between the disciplines and although we have not been able to spend time with The Hang-gliding team it has been interesting to note that they have mirrored a number of the lessons which we have instilled, which demonstrates our final point:

  It is virtually impossible to have a direct influence over everyone; however our influence is far reaching. We are all experts at learning from others and this is done both on conscious and subconscious levels. And although we may not have consciously set out to influence others they have recognised some of the characteristics which have been instrumental in shaping the identity and team-spirit and have adopted them resulting collectively in a much stronger and more robust unit.

 All that now remains is for the French team to evolve as we have done, but as they do we will be encouraging the Brits to once again to ‘Raise the bar’.