About this picture
This is a picture of me with my son, Chris. We are on sitting together in a school bus, waiting to take off on the adventure of a class field trip. Chris looks to be about age 10 or 11.
I’m there as a chaperone wearing a scarf and heavy coat. I’m guessing it’s the field trip we took to the learn about how maple syrup is made, or maybe it’s the field trip where we visited the five President Lincoln statues around Chicago. I loved both of those field trips!
Why I saved this picture
As a kid, I always loved field trips.
I loved leaving the normal day-to-day routine of the classroom and venturing out. I always wondered which parent chaperone and classmates I’d get assigned to, and maybe more importantly, who I’d sit with on the bus.
So years later, as parent when I received the chaperone requests for my sons’ field trips I was quick to say yes. I was able to go on one field trip a year for each of my sons throughout their grade school years.
Turns out, other parents like field trips, too. I think we parents like field trips because we can see our child in their world, and we can spend some time doing an activity with them, their classmates and teachers.
Go be in their Gemba
When I worked for the Japanese company, Beam Suntory, we took Gemba field trips. Gemba is a term for “actual place” where value-creating work occurs. All new employees were encouraged to see where our spirits (e.g., Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Knob Creek) were made, plus go see where they were sold, both in stores and in bars and restaurants.
We had field trips you could sign up for. I quick to say “yes.” These experiences connected me to our products, my colleagues and our customers. As a result of them, I appreciate the work of a warehouse supervisor who keeps the environment just right for whiskey barrels, the dexterity of distillery workers who release the precise amount of wax on the Maker’s Mark corks and the artistry of the marketer who designs the holiday point of sale promotion for the 12 days of whiskey gift. The field trips were memorable! They left their mark on me.
Here’s my field trip assignment for you
Stop and consider who do you need to spend some time with, then make a plan to go see them. It can be a family member or old friend, a client you serve, or team you manage in another city.
It can be for an hour or a few days. However long it is, your connection will strengthen because of the shared experience and you’ll be sure to share some smiles.
Key Points:
- Visiting the real‑life “ground level” — whether through field trips or workplace walk‑arounds — builds deeper understanding, connection, and respect among team members.
- Leaders who make time to “go to the Gemba” and connect with people in their working or life context foster stronger relationships and more meaningful engagement.