What could be easier than making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Actually, a teambuilding exercise between loan originators and their processors demonstrated that even the simplest ideas need to be communicated clearly.

VP and Mortgage Lending Manager Chris Boland and his loan processor, Mortgage Processing and Closing Manager Sarah Frutchey, brought together eight of their employees for a day of teambuilding and communication on Nov. 14 at our Ashwaubenon office. The result was an unalloyed success, they report.

“The two of us get along very well, and we have been trying to create a better relationship between our teams,” Sarah says.

In October, Chris contacted Sarah about coming to Ashwaubenon for a day of teambuilding. So she brought four processors with her to sit down with Chris and four of his loan originators. Training Specialist Jan Born joined them.

With help from Training and Development Manager Jan Konkol, Chris and Sarah brainstormed a series of exercises for the day. Jan Konkol suggested the opening icebreaker: Each employee had to tell the group three things about themselves, one of which was a lie. The others had to guess the lie.

“It was very funny,” Sarah says. “Some people got very personal, and some were more guarded. Two individuals actually told two lies, and sort of stumped everybody.”

Next, the group took part in an exercise devised by Chris. He wanted everybody to follow his instructions on making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“Everybody had to gather the supplies and follow them as literally as possible,” Sarah says. The result: When Chris told them to put peanut butter on their bread, some just spread it on one slice. Others took the jar and set it on top of the bread.

“Jan Born had a whole loaf in front of her, and she put it on every slice,” Sarah says. “The point was, you can say one thing to a group of people, but not everybody hears that one thing the same way. It opened up the door to talk about how we could do things differently.”

The processors also sat in with the originators for the originators’ monthly training conference call. And then the whole group headed out to go bowling — with a twist.

Sarah’s idea was for originators and processors to pair up and each bowl half a frame together. The originators took the first shot, and the processors had to clean up; for the next game, they switched positions.

“They had to work together to create the best score possible,” she says. Loan originators and processors typically communicate via email, so this gave them a great chance to talk one-on-one. “There were a lot of laughs and discussion.”

“Building a team can start with something as simple as building a conversation,” Chris says.

The participating loan originators were Amy DeMain, Nancy Kopetsky, Sherry Leanna and John Rovinski. The participating processors were Marta Acosta, Heidi Becker, Maria Folts and Julie Knapp. And, Sarah adds: “We couldn’t have done any of this without the support of our managers, HR and our fellow processors who held down the fort for us.”

In the future, Sarah and Chris hope to schedule similar sessions in the Racine/Kenosha area and for our Milwaukee/Brookfield branches.