Cultivate Team Building Experiences with Russell Jenson
“And that’s the beauty of using team building… the playing field is leveled, doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have, how much money you make, your background, your education, all of that stuff goes away.” Russell Jenson
Episode 7: Cultivate Team Building Experiences
In this week’s episode of the “Cultivate Your Team Podcast,” I had the pleasure of talking with Russell Jensen, a seasoned educator with 20 years of experience and a renowned Dale Carnegie trainer. Russell’s innovative use of escape rooms as a tool for corporate team building and leadership development has revolutionized the way companies approach these concepts. His journey from opening Denver’s first escape room to creating a successful mobile escape room business for corporate training offers unique insights into fostering team cohesion and leadership skills. Here are three key takeaways that stood out to me:
- Escape Rooms as a Leadership Laboratory: Russell’s application of escape rooms for team building uncovers the intrinsic link between leadership, communication, and problem-solving. The immersive experience serves as a microcosm for workplace dynamics, highlighting the emergence of natural leaders and the importance of vulnerability in leadership.
- The Role of Personality Assessments in Team Success: Through Russell’s observations, the critical role of understanding diverse personalities within a team was emphasized. Personality assessments before embarking on escape room challenges shed light on the team’s dynamic, proving that success hinges on diversity and mutual understanding, not just technical skills.
- Experiential Learning for Real-World Application: The debriefing sessions following escape room challenges offer rich insights into leadership, teamwork, and personal growth. Russell’s reflections on these experiences underscore the value of experiential learning in developing effective leaders and cohesive teams, far beyond traditional classroom settings.
My conversation with Russell Jensen not only highlighted innovative approaches to team building and leadership development but also reinforced the significance of embracing diverse perspectives and the power of experiential learning in cultivating a successful team culture.
Resources Mentioned
About Our Guest
Russell is the inventor and founder of Bustout Colorado. Russell has made a life-long commitment to learning. Each of his master’s degrees are focused on education with the most recent being in Educational Leadership. After fifteen years as both a teacher and an Administrator, Russell turned his focus to the private sector.
He began teaching the times-tested principles of Dale Carnegie Training to ensure professionals become more impactful in the organizations they represent. More recently, he teamed with Marzano Research where he trained leaders to become experts in the areas of classroom engagement and how to work together to produce the optimal learning environment for students. A resident of Colorado, Russell and his wife, Sandy, and their son enjoy golf, camping and traveling together as often as they possibly can.
You can find Russell online at http://bustoutcolorado.com/.
