Team dinners

What does an independent league baseball game have to do with leadership? A lot. Every year when this memory pops up in my newsfeed, I smile as a think about the night that I took my team to “dinner” at the Saguaros baseball game in Tucson, AZ.

A group of us had traveled there for a weeklong workshop and it wasn’t our first trip (by a long shot). That night, instead of hitting one of the usual restaurants, we decided to do something different. So I used my corporate card and I bought the cheap (I don’t remember how much, but it was less than $10) tickets for everyone on the team.

We grabbed front row seats and started chatting and watching the game. I then used my corporate card to buy the group (practically) unlimited $1 beers and $2 hotdogs…and a $5 frozen lemonade for my pregnant team member.

We took pictures with a man in a cactus costume. We felt the despair of the players who broke their bats. We made 1 million trips up and down the stairs between our seats and the concession stands. We strengthened our team.

When the game was over, we knew more about each other and we had a common memory…all for less than the cost of a traditional dinner.

What non-tradional dinners have you taken with your team? Let’s share some ideas.