About The Pirates of St. Croix

                   


“Pirates of St. Croix” is a high energy, out-of-your-seat, team building experience.  It is not entertainment; it is themed learning.  Critical business skills like leadership, teamwork, delegation, communication, attention to detail and problem-solving are skillfully wrapped in a colorful, multi-media pirate atmosphere that is as fun as it is effective. The best training doesn’t feel like training and that’s what makes Pirates of St. Croix so unique—inside an epic adventure is real-world, hands-on learning.  It’s a Summit Team exclusive that compliments the facilitator, Christopher Novak’s, new book, Lead Like a Pirate!. 

 

“Pirates of St. Croix” is really two programs in one.  First, participants are swept into the experience with a licensed clip from a pirate classic starring Errol Flynn.  The small group discussion that follows highlights the power of vision, values, leadership, and reputation to success as an organization.  It serves as the perfect introduction for the next part of the program where participants are challenged to, “Think like a pirate!”  Here, the experience meets the workplace with each participant completing their own “Captain’s Log.”  This pirate essential document captures job-specific insights, ideas, and actions that participants take back with them to the workplace.  Captain’s Logs are ideal for generating one-on-one performance or continuous improvement dialogues after the session.

 

Finally, it’s time for the main event.  Working in teams that act as competing pirate crews, participants appoint a captain and get right to work trying to be the first to find where the treasure is buried.  There is too much work, too little time, and limited resources (sounds like a typical workplace) which forces captains to delegate crucial tasks and crewmates to work together to get things done.  The pace is fast and full of laughs with more than a few challenges that have participants thinking on their feet.  It’s a winner take-all competition with prizes worthy of a king's ransom.  

“Pirates of St. Croix” will bring your entire team together around important learning points—delegation, teamwork, communication, attention to detail, problem-solving, and leadership—while having more fun than pirates on shore leave!





                Leadership Secrets of the Pirates of St. Croix

 

Presenter:                     Christopher Novak

Author, International Speaker and Leadership Coach

 

Supporting Resource:     Lead Like a Pirate

            Christopher Novak, Cornerstone Leadership Institute, 2007, ISBN-10:  0-9798009-1-9

                                   
 

Certifications:                Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), 2.0 credits continuing education (3-08)

 

Learning Objective:         Pirates of St. Croix is a themed-learning experience that seamlessly blends classic team leadership concepts with the mystique of buccaneer genre.  The objective is to introduce participants to characteristics of an effective team leader including communication, vision, delegation, problem-solving, diversity and initiative.  These elements are built into a curriculum that uses illustrations from pirate lore while applying the results to actual workplace challenges.  In the end, participants have an increased leadership awareness and practical strategies they can immediately apply in elevating their own team efforts.

 

Session Description:      Pirates of St. Croix is a 75-minute high energy, out-of-your-seat team building experience.  It is not entertainment; it is themed-learning.  Critical business skills like leadership, teamwork, delegation, communication, attention-to-detail and problem solving skills are skillfully wrapped in a colorful, multi-media pirate atmosphere that is as fun as it is effective.  The best training doesn’t feel like training and that’s what makes Pirates so unique – inside an epic adventure is real-world, hands-on learning. 

 

Pirates is really two programs in one.  First, participants are swept into the experience with a pirate vignette, followed by small group discussion on the power of vision, values, mission and reputation.  Second, participants are challenged to “think like a pirate” as each person translates the learning directly to their workplace, capturing key ideas and thoughts in their individual Captain’s Log.  Finally, working in teams, participants compete to build a treasure map, solve challenging problems and find where the treasure is buried!  Captains must delegate, crew members must cooperate and everyone takes away valuable insight on team dynamics.

 

What They Learn:          Participants in Pirates of St. Croix learn:

 

1.                   Team leadership model that emphasizes the roles of captain, crew, mission, strategy and reward in building effective teams.

2.                   The importance of delegation and effective communication in working to meet a tight deadline amid competition.

3.                   How they can directly apply the curriculum to their workplace, taking back a written record of areas where they can share the learning with colleagues.

4.                   The strength that diversity brings in competing effectively – different skill sets, experiences and styles enhance a team’s ability to manage challenges.

5.                   Strong commitment to optimism, teamwork and meaningful communication

 

Logistics:                      Pirates of St. Croix is best enjoyed in a spacious setting where participants have room to separate from other teams and move around during the activity phase.  A minimum 40’x30’ room is recommended with seating done in 3 tables of 8 (recommended class size is 12-24 participants with a maximum of 36).  A TV with VHS player, a CD player, an easel and flip-chart and a data video projector with screen should be in the room.

 

Facilitator’s Bio:             Christopher Novak is the author of three books, Conquering Adversity, Lead Like a Pirate, and 4 Circles of Good Business as well as numerous magazine articles in publications that include Newsweek, HR Magazine, CUPA-HR Journal and Smithsonian’s Air and Space magazine.  As a professional speaker, Chris has shared his motivational message with thousands of professionals across the country, in Europe and in Canada.  His professional experience includes senior level human resource positions at Cornell University and Syracuse China Company as well as more than seven years as an entrepreneur and leadership coach for his own group, The Summit Team, where he has worked with more than 1,500 leaders.  Chris has a dual bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and mathematics and a master’s degree in business management.

 

References:                   References for Pirates of St. Croix:          Contact us at CNovak@twcny.rr.com