I’m a banker, mid-management, really, and I’ve been working at this particular bank for over a decade now, during which I’ve had several rather insignificant job promotions throughout the years – but this one was my proverbial white whale: Account Executive. Now, the villain of our story is one Bobby Coves, a guy I went to school with, have worked with and have literally been in constant competition with since, well, forever – I get promoted, he gets promoted, he levels up, I level up – crazy! Well, finally we arrived to the point of no return, to our sink or swim, to our do or die – the Account Executive position, and only one of us would get this position, and of course neither one of us was willing to back down – it was full-on war. After months of competition, our individual victories bouncing back and forth between the two of us, Bobby finally took the lead by taking our boss on his boat down to the Florida Keys one weekend. I thought I was done for, until a friend of mine who had just come back from a Bachelor Party weekend abroad gave me the idea that would get me this promotion: a Corporate Retreat in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica, the ultimate Tropical Paradise!
Enthused and excited, seventeen people, we made our way to the airport on one cold, foggy February morning – we were all beyond ready to bask in the heat and humidity of the Tropics, that was for sure! Not only had I suggested Costa Rica as the destination for our annual Corporate Retreat, but I had also volunteered to take complete responsibility of planning the whole weekend down to every detail. Prior to our arrival I had spoken with a full-service agency in Jaco Beach named Jaco VIP that made all the necessary arrangements according to my specific needs. After having landed in sunny Costa Rica, we were greeted at the airport by our very own personal Concierge, along with an Air-Conditioned Mercedes Benz Sprinter van that drove us to Jaco. On the drive down, I checked and confirmed all the details with our Concierge, and everything was in order. The van stopped in front of the Vacation Rental we would be staying in, and it was simply magnificent; 18 bedrooms and bathrooms, a game room with a pool table, a ping pong table and a foosball table, a spacious kitchen fully-equipped, an outdoor pool facing the beach and the ocean – a palace! The sun was shining, my boss was pleased, Bobby was pissed, and everything seemed right in the world. After a dip in the pool, Bartenders and Waiters appeared out of thin air mixing and serving delicious, exotic cocktails; before long, we were all cooling down, drinks in hand, enjoying the Tropics. My boss made a short speech, thanked me personally for arranging the weekend, and announced that the team-building exercises would commence within the hour. Bobby was red, and I was over the moon.
The team-building exercises began in the pool, where we passed around a ball, before each pass having to give a little information about ourselves – an introductory exercise. Then, we stood huddled together in the pool, each one of us, one by one, having to stand on the platform above it, name one complaint we had about working at the company, let go, and let ourselves fall only to be caught and eased back into the water – a trust-exercise. Finally, a Guru/Yogi arrived, we all took our places sitting on the floor and did some yoga poses, followed by a good thirty minutes of meditation, and afterward, shared our individual experiences – a sharing exercise. Once the team-building exercises came to an end, we all went out for lunch to a local restaurant called Green Room, where I had a scrumptious Sesame Crusted Tuna. After lunch, I went into town to do a little exploring, and checked out all the local art galleries and souvenir shops – beautiful! I even bought a thing or two. After a long nap back at the house, I woke up to the sound of music. There was a DJ playing tunes by the pool, and everybody was hanging out with a cocktail in hand, while the kitchen was busy with a group of Personal Chefs preparing our dinner for that evening. We watched the sunset from the edge of the pool deck; it was spectacular! I had heard about Tropical sunsets and how they were one of a kind, but this was something else! Dusk gave way to dark, and the air filled with the smell of grilled fish – the Chefs were at work, and firing up the BBQ! Content, we all sat at a table completely full of food and drinks, my boss made a speech, we all laughed, and the feast began: grilled Mahi Mahi, Blue Marlin Ceviche, Spicy Tuna Sushi Rolls and Salmon Sashimi. After a delicious dinner, we turned in early; for the next day would be a busy one!
The next morning, we woke up bright and early and headed to the beach where a surfing instructor was waiting for us. We did a little board work on the sand first, and then got into the water – what a laugh! Most of the group spent more time in the water than on the board, but speaking for myself, I had a little experience surfing in college, and it all came back to me then and there – naturally, Bobby was jealous, especially since he was no surfer – what a blast! Wet, salty, sandy and tired, we made our way to a breakfast joint called Sunrise Breakfast where we indulged in delicious Costa Rican coffee, fresh Tropical fruits and pancakes. After a hefty meal, the van picked us up and took us over to Los Suenos Marina, 20 minutes away – I had planned a fishing trip for that day! We went on board a Fishing Charter, met the Captain and the First Mate, and sailed off into the blue. A couple of hours into the trip, my boss caught the first fish, a six-foot Marlin, at that, and then Bobby caught a tuna, and as spiteful as I felt at the moment, I sucked it up, and congratulated him on his catch. The sun shining over us, the wind in our hair, we sipped on a cold beer or two all the way back to land. Back in Jaco, we went over to a beach bar called Clarita’s where we had drinks and lunch – cute little place, too! After lunch, the van picked us up again and took us to our destination for our final adventure tour of the day: ATV riding. Boy, was this fun! We rode through the Costa Rican countryside for a couple of hours on ATVs, where Bobby and I got competitive as usual, and raced – well, he won, but once we had reached our destination, I didn’t even care anymore. It was a gorgeous, 300-foot waterfall. The surprise here was that we were to rappel down the face of the waterfall! I volunteered to go first, and it was a blast! After cooling down in the water below, we headed back to the house to rest.
That last evening was spent low-key, just hanging out at the house. After dinner, my boss came up to me and told me how happy he was with my planning of this Corporate Retreat, and that the promotion was mine is I wanted it. I gladly accepted. Unexpectedly, Bobby came up to me and shook my hand, told me that I had done a good job, that I deserved the promotion. We made peace, had a beer overlooking the ocean and enjoyed the last evening in Paradise.
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