TCC student ambassadors delve into leadership strategies
by KC Jones, ne news editor

    Students from all four TCC Campuses gathered last weekend for a leadership retreat, sponsored by Student Ambassadors, at Camp El Har.

    The retreat was designed to bring students from the different campuses together giving them a chance to get to know one another while learning more about themselves, retreat planners said.

    Greg Clark, owner of Clark Expeditions, led the group of 82 students through several team challenge exercises during the morning part of the retreat. Clark has been conducting ropes course events for 16 years. In the beginning, Clark used the challenges and his psychology training to work with emotionally disturbed kids.

    Clark explained that communications, cooperation, trust, leadership and listening are the five important factors of successful group dynamics, which are bound together by positive reinforcement.

    “If you will listen to your peers, you will gain their respect,” he said.

    Clark’s programs have four levels: low elements, high elements, team-building high elements and adventure programs.

    The high elements course is made up of ropes, climbing equipment, tires and other creative challenges.

    “This kind of challenge really promotes confidence,” he said.

    To be a certified ropes instructor, Clark had to pass a 40-hour course and must complete eight hours of re-certification each year. He does not just throw up a bunch of ropes, having people swing from them for years.

    The ropes are certified for a limited amount of use and inspected constantly. The ropes can handle 6,500 pounds of weight, and with pulleys plus other equipment, the ropes are very secure. The high elements course is actually safer than the low elements course, Clark said.

    Clark has modified his program calling it the Initiative Challenge for Businesses to address the needs of the corporate world.

    Cathy Ellington promotes the corporate applications of the programs. She has sat through Zig Zigler and many other motivational speakers and believes employees begin to tune out that kind of training.

    “People get so much more out of interactivity, especially after they process it and understand the elements. It is so appropriate bringing awareness at many levels,” she said.

    The other vital information learned during the retreat involved five-step problem solving. First, the problem must be identified; then brainstorming can occur. A solution must be decided upon and action taken. The final step is to evaluate the outcome; if necessary, the steps may be revisited until the desired goal is accomplished.

    For the afternoon session, the 82 students broke into groups of about 10 and began confronting the problems set before them. In one exercise, students held out their hands while another student fell backwards from a short, medium or high post. This was definitely a trust builder.

    In another challenge, the team members had their left foot on one big beam with the other foot on another big beam. The members pulled on ropes attached to the beam and had to coordinate their movement to lift the beam they were standing on and walk the two beams down a path without falling off. Once the team had shuffled its way several feet, it had to turn the very long, heavy beams around to the other direction, again without falling off the beams. Teamwork and patience were essential to completing this task.

    Crystal Peppard, a student on South Campus, expressed the reality of this challenge.

    “Small progress is still progress,” she said.

    Other tasks were more mentally challenging. After hours of struggling through several events, it was time for the retreat to an end.

    While the facilitators reviewed the problem-solving steps and the basic principles of successful group dynamics, participants were challenged to think about what they could take away from the retreat. The students commented on what they had learned. The consensus was that having one goal brought camaraderie. Teams thrived from the variety that brought in everyone’s contributing ideas. Good leaders are also good followers, and the events illustrated that the best teams took turns allowing each other to take leadership roles.

    Candice Hightower, a student who works in NE student activities, summarized the feelings of many students.

    “I was amazed by the absolute rush, the high of being around everyone with an uplifting spirit. That will last for a very long time,” she said.

    Another student, Kate Cohen, said she understood herself more after the retreat.

    “The challenges revealed a lot about myself, like my strengths and weaknesses. I thought I was a leader, but under certain circumstances I found myself quieter or even wanting to give up,” she said.

    Spike, director of Camp El Har, explained how solving problems creates stress, but when people work through solutions together, unity results.

    “To try is to succeed. That is our motto,” he said.