Fidelity hosted a Build-A-Bike® charity team building event at their Durham, North Carolina office. There, 94 associates and several executives traded spreadsheets for wrenches. After two days of intensive discussions on Strategic Priorities, Product Management, Delivery Practices, and Change Leadership (during which at least 37 coffee cups were sacrificed), the Build-A-Bike® event served as the grand finale that nobody saw coming. Except for the organizers, of course.
Fidelity Investments helps clients achieve their financial goals through investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, and brokerage services. While they’re experts at growing money, it turns out they’re surprisingly adept at building bicycles too. A skill not listed in any of their job descriptions!
Fidelity Leaders Come Together for Build-A-Bike® Event in Durham, NC
The Build-A-Bike® event gave Fidelity’s product and delivery leaders a chance to reset, refocus, and reenergize. After two days of co-creating ideas and action plans for implementing delivery improvements, the associates were genuinely shocked by the surprise team-building activity. Some initially wondered if assembling bicycles was a new employee benefit assessment tool. Divided into teams, they raced to assemble bicycles that would later be donated to the YMCA of the Greater Triangle. The competitive spirit was so intense that one executive was overheard threatening to adjust his team’s 401(k) allocations if they didn’t tighten those handlebars correctly.
Representatives from the YMCA of the Greater Triangle attended the event. They got on stage to shar insights into their programs and the impact of the donations. All in all, they explained how the bikes would make a significant difference in the lives of children, promoting physical activity and providing a sense of independence. The heartfelt message resonated with the Fidelity team. They suddenly realized that building something tangible was a refreshing change from building investment portfolios. (Though thankfully, both activities ultimately help secure better futures).
We extend our sincere gratitude to Fidelity for their generous donation and enthusiastic participation in the Build-A-Bike® event. We also thank the YMCA of the Greater Triangle for their invaluable work in supporting the community and for their excellent representation at the event. No financial advisors or bicycle mechanics were harmed in the making of this team-building experience.