“Lori” was participating in a paintball teambuilding event along with her colleagues from the local Arizona office of an insurance company.  From the start of the introduction she seemed pretty uncomfortable with the event.  She was shy and fearful that she would drag down her team or wouldn’t be able to finish the game.  During equipment orientation she appeared awkward and intimidated by the guns. 

As the game got underway, Lori’s team assigned her to a position in what is the paintball equivalent of out in “left field”.  Even as she took her place, she still worried out loud that she might not be able to handle the role.  But soon enough the team was caught up in the action and gave little thought to Lori, alone in the outskirts of the field.

Of course the competition had taken note of Lori’s attitude and determined that they could use it to their advantage.  When the time was right, one of their stronger players crept up on Lori’s fort, certain that he had an easy capture. 

“POP!POP!POP!POP!POP!POP!POP!!!

 Before the man knew what had hit him, he was down. Lori had laid into with rapid fire, taking him out of the game.  Now smiling and flushed with excitement, she went on to do the same to several of his teammates…contributing to a win for her team.  Once she actually started shooting, it felt so natural she found herself carried away in the rush.  Even the referee was a little intimidated by her fierce protection of her fort.  She may have been the last line of defense in the game, but she turned out to be the most effective, delivering an MVP performance. 

 Lori’s amazing performance set the stage for an energized debrief,   She had empowered herself and become an inspiration to her colleagues.  Everyone was excited to have participated in and to talk about such an outstanding shared experience.