*Good teamwork exercise* don't necessarily boil down to physical motivators; there is a time and place for them like anything else but an experienced Instructor has more tools in their toolbelt than that.
Ref the "Blue Sector/Green Sector", 60 recruits per platoon stuff. Here's my :2c::
- teamwork isn't a cookie-cutter deal. The real goal is to have everyone working as a team to overcome "whatever it is they are facing". In BMQ, it starts with things like kit and quarters, how station jobs are done. Instructors can tell if teamwork is happening or not, don't kid yourself. We can (usually) tell who is playing nice in the sandbox, who isn't, who won't get in the sandbox, who throws the sand and who thinks they own and run the sandbox when the staff isn't around.
- the goal is to get everyone to be a part of the team, for people to lead when they are supposed to lead, follow when they are supposed to follow, and to instill the varying types of discipline in people (imposed, group discipline, habits, self-discipline...something like that, I'm digging back to SLC stuff from a few moons ago).
- if 1 Section does things differently than 2 Section, but the end state is the same...that's fine. Part of learning teamwork is learning when you need to kick someone in the arse to get them moving, when you need to haul in on their reigns, and when to sit back and let the team do their thing. No one likes to be micro-managed right?
- find a system; example for bed layouts - follow the *Bible* and make 1 bedspace the way it is supposed to be as close to perfection as possible. That becomes 'the standard'. Lets say this is Crse Seniors bedspace. The Section Seniors and he/she do the work on 'the standard'. Then the Sect Seniors go back to their bedspace, and together with the section members, they arrange the Sect Snr bedspace to 'the standard'. Now, all the section members copy the Sect Senior layout on theirs. Supervising - the crse snr can go around to ensure the sect snr layout is 'correct' and help if needed with maintaining the standard at the sect snr level. The section snr's will be the 'eyes' to ensure the sect members are as per their layout. Everyone does their job and no one gets their panties in a wad because they are 'only a section member' and this should work. One example. This helps set a standard, it gets everyone doing a part as the team...if Johny WannabeBoss gets all twisted he isn't in command...remind him at some point he WILL be and if he jerks people around now he can expect that to be repaid when he is holding The Conch.
- I used to teach the teamwork concept to troops like this. "there are 20 of you on this course. Now, you can all be individuals and look out for only yourself. OR..each of you can look after
everyone else FIRST and cover each others ***. You decide if you think you're better off with 1 set of eyes looking out for your ***..or 19."
FWIW, when I did Basic in Cornwallis...
- we started off with a platoon of 120 or so and graduated about 90-95;
- we were in 2 story H huts, and split into 6 Squds over those 4 floors;
- Females got their own floor, own bathroom but they were not all in 1 squad;
- Each squad was broken into bedspaces of "bunk buddies" with 1 x bunk bed and 2 x lockers.
- different station jobs were assigned to different squads, on different weeks. Example, Squad 3 and 4 shared the lower right floor of the H hut and had common bathroom spaces, but Week 2 might have been 3 Squad cleaning the toilets. If you used one of the 'taped off' toilets when it wasn't your station job that week, you could be sure the other squad would return the favour right before inspection the next. 8)
- we waxed our floors. Waxed by hand. Hours and hours and hours of work, all after 'lights out'.
- our personal kit, for the army types, included summer (tan) and winter (green) CFs/DEUs, 2 x set of workdress (bus driver) uniforms, somewhere between 12-20 long and short sleeve shirts, 7 or 8 pair of footwear and a full set of combats. The layout was fairly precise and had A LOT of stuff in it. LS green CF shirts, ironed flat in the locker, 8 x 12 exactly, buttons showing and centered the same on each shirt. long underwear, 8 x 12 exactly. underwear 6 x 6. etc.
There was so much work to do to get everyone to 'the standard'. It took WEEKS and countless hours. 100+ recruits spread over 4 floors, females on their own floor, different squads sharing common rooms/spaces. It FORCED you to work like a team, even with the guys you wanted to hit with the iron when they opened their mouth in the ironing room. We learned team work thru work and lots of it.
By Week 7, for our CI (Chief Instructor) Inspection, done by a LCdr in full whites (FML), we were nearly at the standard required for the Cmdt Inspection. The weekend before CI inspection and the 3 week nights leading to it were by far the longest days I've spent in the CF; the CI Inspection "pass" meant we were awarded our Course Pennant. Failing meant carrying around a pole with nothing on it and being the shame of the Base, and meant 3 long weeks before grad. The crse ahead of us failed their CI inspection. Felt sorry for those sorry SOBs. Sorta. >
I've worked at CFLRS and while some aspects are harder (the stairs, 1 example), the kit and quarters are extremely easier than many of your senior serving members were.
If 100+ of us could pull it off with the amount of crap we had to work around, the amount of kit we had in our layout, floors to wax, etc...you guys and gals at CFLRS can, just like many many before you have...
Do what you're told, how you're told, when you're told; lead when you are supposed to lead, follow when you are supposed to follow.
WOW! Thank you for that! Best reply so far! You hit the Nail on the head and slammed it to the finish! Your words remind me of my hubby's work ethic/ basic trg experiences! (Cornwallis 1987) his first job off the bus when he arrived, coveralls on stripping and waxing floors!!! You guys had it hard! Much respect to you, and what you learned from it -- there's no I in Team! It takes everyone working together. My son is on week 4, and he's starting to get the hang of time management and organization 
