AOG Northern Virginia T.A.C May-2011

Finished up a 2-day Tactical Adventure Course last week. This was a great group of very smart guys who do important work that you've probably benefited from and didn't even know it. (read that as engineers who build some cool stuff)

Getting started in the classroom with an introduction to some AOG principles, a discussion about elite teams and an overview of what was to come over the next 2 days.

SURVEILLANCE Exercise! They drank from the firehose on Day 1 as we covered alot of info in a short time. Before they knew it classroom time was over and it was into the heart of Richmond to try out some urban tracking. The knowledge and skills they learned throughout the day, and the chance to put it to practical use, will keep them safer in their personal and business travels. Most of them also acquired a new appreciation for some of the very difficult behind the scenes work that allows groups like the SEALs and other SOF units to have the information they need to pull off daring missions.

The morning of Day 2 brought with it a steady rain, perfect conditions to learn the finer points of tactical off-road driving from the best. Here the guys are getting introduced to the concept of "mission critical" vs "hey yall watch this" forms of off-road driving.

Once again, we covered alot of info in a short time. You never imagined there was so much to learn about "tactical mobility".

Class is over, time to go. Has anyone seen my Arc Teryx?

These guys liked to know what they were about to get into.

High and dry on some easy stuff.

Won't stay high and dry for long. Vehicle recovery is a mission critical skill and an extension of your driving.

Extreme AOG teambuilding, suck factor on the rise. Time for action.

Any great team requires high levels of innovation. As the day wore on, we required lots of it.

The action continued all day, and ended with a surprise event that some found to be eye opening!
These guys were great, and though they were sometimes too critical on themselves and rated their own performance too low, they thought thru tactical problems, came up with innovative ideas and worked together to get thru some big challenges.
Mission accomplished, well done guys.


Special thanks to the AOG team and the awesome instructors at ORT!

A good team Part 1

What makes a good team?  It's a topic I've been fascinated with for a long time.  I've been on good teams, bad teams and great teams.  There's nothing better, in your professional life, than when you are a part of a great team.  But how does it happen?  What factors contribute and what characteristics are present with all great teams?  It's a topic we'll be discussing in the upcoming AOG course.  Some of the best memories I have are great teams I've been on.  Teams can be large, a whole group of company employees with a shared vision.  Teams can be small, a detachment of guys slogging through a tough mission, or you can be a team by yourself.  You can be teamed up with a good job, a good project or a good activity and you just feel that things are great.  The flip side is also true, when your teamed up with the wrong situation, it's miserable, and we've all been there.  So we'll be looking at what makes a good or great team over the next month.  A definition I love, from a previous student in one of our courses, it's simple, elegant and spot on:

A cohesive group of people, working towards a goal.  Each member knows and trusts what the others do.