next on Dutchman TourDear Dr. Simmerman,
As you know, I've used "The Lost Dutchman" now for almost 7 years with clients large and small. I remain impressed with it as a powerful consulting/training tool.
More than anything, it is a critical piece of much of the Leadership Development work I do. I use is as a planned exercise, often at the beginning of a long intervention.
And, I "pull it out of my back pocket" a lot for a team of leaders that need to "get" something quickly, The Lost Dutchman not only hits many of the key leadership points required in these fast-moving and remote-working times, but it is an exercise of the right duration.
For my business, both for my reputation and financially, "The Lost Dutchman" is fabulous. Many, many thanks for all the development time you put into it, and for all your support.
If any prospective client requires more information, they are more than welcome to e-mail me at: catsongs@aol.com. Just let them know I am often busy and on the road, so it may take a few days to respond.
Dr. Kirtland C. Peterson
Managing Partner
ISCI Consulting, Inc.
[ information strategy communications implementation
Hi Scott:
Everyone is still talking about your workshop. Hope you are doing well.
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Testimonial
Our company was thrilled to have Scott bring his program to our employees.
They laughed a lot and learned a lot. They really enjoyed the visual aids
and the interaction.
Scott's sense of humor is the driving force of his success in my opinion.
He has a way of presenting information at a level of understanding for
everyone. He will definitely be invited back to Newark Electronics.
Marcia Moore - Director, OD/HR - Newark Electronics
Scott -
Thanks for a wonderful presentation on January 11, 2001 for DHEC. I keep getting great comments. Everyone said the game made the conference the best we have ever had. We are already looking ahead to next year. Do you have similar games or know of others who do games that demonstrate leadership principles? People remember forever the principles because they associate them with things they did in the game. Every meeting I have been to since the conference has had a reference to the Lost Dutchman's Mine. Great stuff!!
Becky Campbell <CAMPBEBF@andrsn62.dhec.state.sc.us>
Dr. Simmerman,
I just wanted to take a moment and compliment you on your Lost Dutchman's Mine team building game. This exercise could not have fit better into our agenda. Our organization provides Worldwide Customer Support for Cognos Incorporated the world's leading Business Intelligence software vendor. Our role is very stressful as we deal with variety of issues and customers on a daily basis. Just recently, I have reorganized our group away from product stovepipe teams into solutions teams where knowledge transfer, collaboration, cooperation between team members and other solution teams are the keys to being successful versus straight product knowledge.
Our excursion to the lost mine taught the whole group a number of valuable lessons, which they are still talking about today almost a month later. They learned to listen, they learned to look at a piece of information in terms of not just what can it do for me but how can I use this same information to help others, and they saw first hand that the net result of a shared focus always beats individual success at the individual team or team member level.
I personally was very pleased that with 130 people in the room broken down into 18 teams we had 100% participation - everyone enjoyed it, which was also part of the value.
The Lost Dutchman's Mine has had a huge impact on the attitude in which our group is adapting as we move forward to not only be the world leader in our market but to dominate it.
So on behalf of myself and Perry Kelly - thanks
Scott,
Thanks for the additional information about Quest. The only problem is the Dutchman exercise is just so good. I was chatting with Jill Dodwell Groves (Jardines, Hong Kong) and we both enjoy running the LD no matter how or where or when. It works every time. So it makes it hard to consider using another exercise!
Hope to see you in this part of the world soon. Scott, if you do make it over we could pull together a group of trainers and you could run Quest.
Robin Speculand
Bridges Business Consulting, Singapore
I teach collaboration skills in a variety of technical environments (Intel, EDS, Taiwan Semiconductor). Occasionally I need to build a shared experience of clearly observed behavior as a base line to convince my engineers that their behavior isn't producing the results they say they want. I've found Lost Dutchman to be one quick and effective way to do this. "Analysis paralysis", sub-optimization by too narrowly focusing, and failure to build teams and listen to one another all show up pretty quickly with the Dutchman, and give us a common reference point for skill-building. Although there may be some initial hesitation, I find people get hooked on wanting to "win" pretty quickly, and find the activity extremely absorbing.
Please feel free to contact me with questions.
"Lisa J. Marshall" <lisa@smartworkco.com>
Success! The Dutchman game delivery for my client went very well, especially for my first delivery. We had 5 teams of 5-6 people. And I trained their assistant in 20 minutes to assist as Provisioner, so it was very easy to facilitate the mechanics. I kept the debrief short and focused only on points relevant to their situation so they stayed tuned in when the energy of the game was over.
I was so pleased to receive so many compliments! The biggest one was that people were still talking about the game in the evening. They also said that the messages I delivered in the debriefing were right on and helped them to think about solutions to their business issues, which is due to the wonderful prepping and support materials you provided......
The cd is well organized and has everything we need. We printed all the materials and laminated them, purchased play dollars from The Party Store for 50 cents, and used Hershey's gold-wrapped almond kisses for gold--wrappers do not count for gold, so they had to wait until the game was over before eating them.
Thank you, Scott, for your creative team building tool and your generous support.
Susan Hamley
President
The Hamley Group - "Your Event Department" -- 612-551-1110
shamley@eventdepartment.com
I wish to thank you for the opportunity to purchase and use "The Search for the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine" exercise in my training and consulting practice. As a result of my association with you and your product, I have been able to successfully expand the scope of team building programs that I offer. Not only have I recouped my original investment ten times over, use of the "Dutchman" in organizational settings has led to many other related training and consulting opportunities for my firm.
I also wish to thank you for your continued marketing and technical support. Your ongoing communications and idea sharing has made my business relationship with you very enjoyable and rewarding. In addition, you have always represented yourself and your firm with professionalism and integrity.
I look forward to maintaining an association with you that is mutually beneficial. Please let me know if I can ever be of service to you.
Sincerely,
Michael Madras email: madrasco@bellsouth.net
MADRAS & Co.
Cary, NC
Scott,
I recently conducted "The Lost Dutchman" exercise in an adult degree completion course at a university here in San Antonio. The course was an org. psych. course in teams and small work groups. I used the exercise as a "final exercise" (NOT exam) to allow people to see what they had learned about working in the team environment.
We played the game one evening and I debriefed it during the next evening session. I used the Ice Shards option. I think it adds greatly to the dynamics of the game. I would have caught one team (without a spare!) except that the team was playing the survival option so intensely that they were already past the middle block on the way back to Last Chance Gulch. The students, who had been learning in teams throughout the course, heaped praise on the exercise as an excellent learning experience.
The next day I put executive management and the department directors of the San Antonio Water System through the exercise (38 participants). We played the game, took a break to eat lunch, and then debriefed the exercise in terms of leadership and teamwork. It was a real eye-opener! So far as I know, this was the first time the participants admitted in a public that they don't "play well" together. The game started what I believe will be a great new adventure into openness and teamwork discussions in the company. The CEO/President was effusive in his praise of the effectiveness of the game.
Incidentally, two teams each stayed a day in Last Chance Gulch. At the gold mine one team was trying to sell "cave cards" for the rate of one days' worth of gold earnings for each card! No other teams understood what the cave cards were for, nor did the owning team explain them. I referred to the behavior as "passive-aggressive collaboration" during the debrief. The other team sold a turbocharger to a team struggling to get back. It made the question about, "what is gained by hoarding resources?" especially thought-provoking and revealing about what goes on in the work place. I have used the game both ways now, and I much prefer the ice shards (and the worthless shovel) approach.
Thanks for creative changes!
Best of luck,
Bob Strange (210-704-1136) San Antonio Water Sustem
The Dutchman session went really well -- only 7 people -- and I broke them into 2, 2, and 3.
They all collaborated and thought they were all smart and stuff. But they only took two jeeps instead of 3, so there was an excellent opportunity to debrief on that. This was the executive / administrative leadership team for this company -- basically all the department heads. They loved the whole concept.
Just thought you'd like to know there's another happy client out there!
Pam Wyess
6463 Robison Lane
Saline, MI 48176-9094
734-429-5249
I'm convinced, already! Take me on to licensing information:
next on Dutchman Tour
"We've now had a chance to catch our breaths and tally the evaluations from our First Annual District Meeting. Your Lost Dutchman's game received the highest average ranking in our evaluation........
Brian Moran, Manager of Company Quality, Bibb and Associates, Inc. 913-928-7000
"I just returned from doing three Lost Dutchman simulations for the Emergency Room at St. Paul Hospital in Dallas. Rave reviews (as you would expect). The outcomes had the people exhibiting hugging, frank dialogue, and tears."
Nic Stevens, Harris Memorial Hospital - 817-462-6175
"It's easy to facilitate and the insights gained are significant. This is the perfect retreat exercise that stimulates self insight and broader thinking while helping to break down the barriers to collaboration."
Denise Voncannon, University Medical Center - 919-816-4961
"Whenever I need a truly bomproof and useful exercise to demonstrate the power of collaboration and teamwork, I pull out Lost Dutchman. We've been using it for years, doing about a session a month with truly marvelous results. Thank you, Scott, for a great program,.
Jeff Taylor, RCTaylor Associates, Chad's Ford, PA - 610-558-9200
"The Lost Dutchman exercise is a proven, consistent winner with my clients. I've used it in dozens of organizations for more than 3 years, from community colleges to Fortune 50's, and it has always been a huge success. Thank you, Dr. Simmerman."
Mike Robinson, Triad Training, Greensboro, NC
"The lessons Lost Dutchman taught about the value of cooperation will be of tremendous benefit to our participants... I thank you for the excellent quality of your presentation and for the worthwhile results."
Ann Yancey, Director, Leadership South Carolina
"Best of all, the learnings from (the exercise) are easily transferred to the workplace in short, the simulation is value-added to the bottom line."
Robert Staub, Staub - Peterson
"... A goldmine of team development and training ideas. With just a few hours of preparation, you helped me look like an old pro at leading the game."
James McCammon, Isothermal College
I have used the Lost Dutchman numerous times within the Harris Methodist system and it worked magnificently. The simulation is applicable to both hospital and health plan situations and stimulates lots of open discussion and effective action planning. It's my personal learning simulation of choice!
Nic Stevens, Harris Methodist Hospital System - nicstevens@hmhs.com
"Several people saw the mistakes coming but still made them. A marvelous learning and bonding for a new company formed out of 3 old ones. "
Robin Restall, J. Walter Thompson
"Dutchman has provided a wonderful platform to build learning experiences for my various clients, who range in age from 10 to 75. It is an affordable game that requires no additional site licensing, which frees me up to modify and adapt the game each time based on client needs. Its message of collaboration is a timeless reminder of the opportunities that are available to us each day as we interact with the people in our lives."
Rick Anderson, Vice President, OUM & Associates
"The Lost Dutchman game is dynamite. The game is eloquently designed -- simple and quick to play yet packed with explosive power. The Lost Dutchman is unquestionably the best training game I have ever seen for teaching teamwork. In the written evaluations, over 80% of participants stated we should use it with other groups in the hospital. This is quite an endorsement of your creation."
Sam Tolbert, Director of Planning, Self Memorial Hospital
""When you need to discover what needs to be done for improvement, I suggest people start with The Dutchman. An outstanding exercise."
Karl Closs, Chad's Ford, PA
This is not just a game. Our opening to Applebee University proved to be an enlightening experience, more than we expected from a game. Your astute guidance and keen insight made our Sunday evening opening a true hit. Best of luck with The Lost Dutchman and my unqualified recommendation goes out to any organization."
Matt Carpenter, Executive Director of Training, Applebee's
NOBODY asks the Expedition Leader for help or advice. Not only that, when I asked why no one asked me for help, assistance or advice, one woman said, "Well, we didn't trust you!"
Scott, thanks for a GREAT training vehicle in the Lost Dutchman.
I finished up a college course at a local university by having the "teams" play the Dutchmen. All the students are working adults in an evening degree completion program. The business course covered Working Teams and Relationships. The Dutchman was the "capstone" exercise near the end of the course. They loved it.... they "blew" it... they had some profound learning in the debrief. Nearly all of them plan to write their final exam (a take home) on the lessons they learned in the mountains.
We did the exercise on a Monday evening and the debrief on Wednesday. I was surprised at how well they held onto the experience during the two day break.
Thanks again...I am a Dutchman fan. We are starting to use it in the company next month.
Bob Strange, San Antonio Water System
In fact, we ran Dutchman today, with all needed supplies and copying done, and it worked quite well. As you know, anything complex and worthwhile takes a couple of runs before one knows where and how to tweak it to get the effects one wants, but as a tryout it was very successful.
David Hagen, ( dfhagen@ibm.net ) writing about a game he ran in Istambul never having seen the simulation actually played - literally right out of the box!
We continue to be amazed at the overwhelming response we have receieved from adding "Search for the Lost Dutchman's Mine" to our teambuilding offerings. We have experienced great success with "Square Wheels" over the years, and utilizing the "Lost Dutchman" has only added to our reputation as one of the premier 'team' specialists in the US. The Dutchman / Square Wheels" products are by far the most requested sessions that we offer.
Our clients range from computer software superfirms to financial giants to small local manufacturers. "Dutchman" has been a hit with all who have experienced it. Our clients have found it an excellent tool for getting organizations to see the need for change and ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING as a result of attending the session.
And we don't have to try to stuff a square peg in a round hole...we can customize for a perfect fit for the client every time.
I also want to thank you personally for the time and effort you have expended on our behalf supporting and customizing "Lost Dutchman" and "Square Wheels". It is this time and support that makes these products such a joy to use.
Sincerely,
Michael Robinson
Triad Training and Consulting
Winston-Salem, NC
www.triadtraining.com
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