by Tracy Eke | The Belbin Team, 31 Aug 2023
Taking to the skies for a charity skydive is something we often see people doing, facing their fears and making 'the jump' for worthwhile causes. With a member of the Belbin team gearing up for their first such endeavour, it got us thinking about how different Team Roles might approach a skydive.
A reverse bungee jump out of a helicopter would be more of a headline-grabbing challenge, surely?
Has been weighing up the pros and cons of doing a skydive specifically to raise money for charity. Taking into account all the associated factors related to time and upfront costs – time spent persuading people to sponsor the skydivers, collecting the money, fuel and time travelling to the jump site, the fees to jump etc – surely it would be more productive for individuals to keep both feet on the ground and just donate to charity? It's impossible to be certain how much extra money will result from the sense of risk and excitement, so why bother?
Needs more time to think about this.
Has been reading everything they can get their hands on – the history of skydiving, who did the first jump and when, how many jumps have been done worldwide in the last 20 years, the safety statistics... They’re ready to share their new knowledge of skydiving in great detail with anyone who will listen.
The preparations have gone superbly, and they are very pleased with how everyone has done as they've been asked. John from the sports club has done a fine job identifying and signing up willing jumpers. Julie from the local pub has been amazing at following their instructions to raise sponsorship. In fact, without their guidance, they wonder if this thing would have ever got off the ground.
Has secured mates' rates for all those jumping today through their best friend's cousin's wife's sister-in-law. Has also managed to get a free recording of the jump in return for promoting a new energy drink just before take-off. It’s manufactured by a company just down the road from the airfield. They just want the skydive out the way now as they met someone in the pub last night who does 'wingsuit jumping' off mountains in Switzerland. Now that sounds really cool.
Has been checking that everyone signed up to jump is still OK to take part. Has also been reassuring people that it's alright to change their mind at any time and that no-one will think any less of them for doing so. On the day, they'll jump last so they can give everyone some final words of encouragement. Thinking about the seating plan on the plane, maybe they should sit between George and Alex as those two can sometimes wind each other up a bit and tension at 12,000 feet is the last thing anyone will need.
To land a skydive safely, you need to have strong core muscles so they have developed a strength-building plan for everyone to follow in the weeks leading up to the jump. Each week, everyone has a spreadsheet to complete and submit to them, detailing how many sit-ups, planks and crunches they have done on the specified days. They have also set up a Facebook group to keep everyone on track and accountable for their progress.
Has checked all the paperwork is complete. In fact, they might just check again. And they'll go through it with the organisers on the day too, just to be sure everything is correct. Can't afford for anything to be missed. Maybe they should also watch the person who will be packing their parachute to check they look as though they know what they're doing? Should two or three people pack their parachute so they can check each other's work?
Just get in the plane and jump. Last one to land buys the drinks.
(Remember we are all a wonderful mix of the nine Belbin Team Roles – this is just a bit of fun!)
