Overview

The Lido on Hampstead Heath is a Grade II listed, Art Deco pool which has been open to the public since 1938. In April this year we worked with the team who run The Lido and the ponds on Hampstead Heath to strengthen their communication channels in readiness for the busy summer season .

The Need

The team at the Lido and the Ponds are a dedicated group of highly skilled people, who ensure that this unique open air pool provides a safe and fun swimming environment for everyone.

But the team is also made up of people who work very different shift patterns and with a high number of casual staff who work here specifically for the busy high season months, so it has always been difficult to establish a real sense of team identity and strong communication.

As part of the consultancy project we have carried out with North London Open Spaces, we were asked to help the Lido team gear themselves up for the launch of the new season. The team has a wealth of skills and knowledge, but the challenge was how best to bring all that skill and knowledge together and work effectively as a team.

The Solution

We ran two facilitated sessions; one to review the previous season and identify areas for improvement and one to launch the new season. 

The first session provided a forum for an exchange of experiences and ideas that the team had never had before and the lively discussion produced a very focussed set of actions which were then drawn up as a team charter. This then provided the basis for a review in the second session in April this year, which resulted in specific actions, such as agreeing the frequency and structure of team meetings and clear ways of working together.

At the end of the season Paul Jeal said “The team have had a great season and worked really well together. Our regular team meetings have ensured there is more constructive discussion and there has been a noticeable change in how everyone thinks about others in the team and the impact they have on each other. We are also all more assertive in terms of how we deal with concerns or issues and ultimately, of course, this means we are providing a better service to the public. The sessions Focal Point ran really got the team thinking and tightened up the way we work together.”