Snow Shoes and the Caboose

The last two days for Team EchoUser were spent in beautiful Northstar-at-Tahoe. Before joining EU, the notion of "off sites" and "team building" was such a foreign concept. I always imagined those cheesy cliches where you stand in front of a co-worker, trustingly fall backward and they catch you. Or being stuck in uncomfortable hotel event chairs listening to a boring seminar where you learn the difference between flirting and HR violations. Then I joined EchoUser. Our team off site felt more like a mini family vacation. We all rode up in a caravan of sorts. Piled into a cabin with our knapsacks, sleeping bags and snow gear. Went grocery shopping for our "family dinner". Yukked it up all night telling jokes and funny stories over billiards and darts. The next day we all enjoyed the snow. Some went snowboarding, others skiing and then there was my little crew who went for a snowshoe hike to the reservoir and Caboose.         We ended our snow day with a rendezvous at a bar in the Northstar village, filling our hungry bellies with deep fried nom noms and beer. It was there I realized not once did anyone bring up anything work related the entire time we were up there. It was a successful team building trip. We unknowingly focused on nurturing the thing that makes our scrappy little company so special: our connection to each other. It's what gets you through the creative disagreements, petty arguments and ego bruising that is normal when you throw ten unique individuals together. No matter what goes down, you have faith that it will all work out and we'll always come out on the other side together. For that alone, I know I am a part of something that is truly great. Hiyooooo!