The Induction Challenge

What happens when your life is pretty much in the identical zone as it was 3 years ago? And, it looks like you may remain the same rut for another 15 years? It’s definitely time to find space for growing. So, this past year we decided to get a little tutoring and try and grow ourselves and our business. Trevor Clark from Action Coach Durban has spent the time working with us and helping us tweak how and why we do things.

What is great about having someone new from the outside come in, is that they bring a fresh perspective and they challenge thinking and this in-turn gets the brain ticking and new ideas are formulated. Some thoughts work and others don’t but the one idea has been an excellent addition in growing our Cavern Team and this has been the Induction Challenge.

New staff need to learn about the business and how things happen and the Induction Challenge could help us achieve this. Nine challenges had to be accomplished before an individual could really be considered to be part of “Team Cavernites”. To test the idea we had about 5 old staff members and 10 fairly new recruits and they had a month to complete the mission. We reconvened in the Conference Room and chatted through the learning….

It was quite fantastic. In fact, so fantastic, that everyone wants to complete the Induction Challenge! Old staff and all new employees!

Suddenly, the Head Waiter, Mondli, who had never set foot in the Spa, had been treated to a foot massage. Rebecca, from the playroom, had ventured down to the Stables to take a selfie with a horse (she actually got on the horse!) and Donald, our Head Chef, had quizzed Khulu Peter about the olden days. Sindi, from housekeeping, learnt about our work through Royal Drakensberg Primary and Thembeni got to set a special anniversary table for our guests. Mpume enjoyed the chicken best at the lunch buffet while Chantel, from Reception, joined the children for “spider craft” and Joyce headed onto the mountain to do the short walk.

We decided that there had to be a prize at the end and so those who have completed the Challenge (we’ve done 4 sets so far!) get an enamel hiking mug with Team Cavernites inscribed on the front. The response from our team has been awesome! And, it seems to have really given everyone a little bit of insight about holidays at The Cavern, why we do what we do!

The beauty of a few days at The Cavern is the opportunity to spend time in nature, to live the great outdoors, to be a family together, bonding and growing relationships. The wholesome food, the activities, the spa treatments and the pristine mountain air mean that we continue Bill Carte’s dream… In 1941, he wrote to Ruth, his future wife; “Our work is to create beauty, to make the land more fertile, to make our living, to leave the world better than when we first came into it” And, to top all this off, our staff are all working to fulfil this incredible mission too.