A Murderous Good Time in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, All Part of A Charade, All in The Name of Team Building. Charade, or murder?  (Well at least a murder mystery team building.) After all, they all saw the Chief Judge stagger and fall?  Members of the Iowa’s Northern District of the US Bankruptcy Court were determined to find out what happened, and who done it.  While gathering evidence, and questioning suspects, they also learned how to build a stronger team.  In fact they learned how to be better leaders, team mates and individuals.  Could it have prevented the murder? Perhaps.

Their jobs are not easy, as the jobless numbers grow, so does the number of people who just can’t make it, and file for bankruptcy.  These folks process the claims, and meet people in economic trouble almost every day.  Iowa does have one of the lower unemployment rates in the nation. But while their number of cases may be lower…they are still way too high, it takes an emotional toll.  A morning of team building, rejuvenation, and stress relief for today’s economic upheaval that has been heaped on them. And more important thing – figuring out a crime that happened right in front of them was on the docket.

At Usher’s Ferry, a historical landmark, dotted with homes-turned-museums, from the last century, they put aside the misery of the economy and had a morning of team-building fun.   The group called in the Leader’s Institute’s “Gum Shoe Crew” to help solve the crime. (No, the judge is not really dead!)  But that did not stop the team from having a lot of fun while figuring out who the bad “girl” was.

Almost no one suspected the “shy one” of a desperate faux crime.  But don’t kid yourself, she did it, and one team figured out why, and how!  By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute