As my friends urged me on, I ignored my reluctance to squeeze into the crowded elevator - teeming with my co-workers from a global consulting firm. It was already 9:30, and we were late for our next company event in Lake Tahoe.

Someone in the elevator invited the project partner. “Hey! Are you joining us?” Our partner laughed and replied, “I think I will wait for the next elevator. You guys go ahead!” Those were the last words we heard before the elevator doors closed smoothly behind us.

“This is so full, let’s see what happens if we jump,” said Jack (Note: names have been changed to prevent undesirable career progressions), one of the team members standing in the middle of the crowd.

Jack jumped. The elevator came to an abrupt, screeching halt. As I heard the collective gasp from everyone around me, thoughts of the elevator crashing towards the floor came crossed through my mind.

I watched quietly as another team member Adam hurriedly punched several floor numbers on the elevator keypad. Nothing happened. The elevator door refused to open.

“We are stuck! We are stuck!” Adam was in a frenzy.

“Calm down, we need to make an executive decision over here”, said Will, one of the senior consultants.

Dan shouted, “I agree. We are a bunch of consultants. We can solve this problem together”.

Will sprung to action, contacting security using the elevator telephone.

“Sir, this will take twenty minutes. Elevator repair people are on their way.” The lady on the phone replied.

Dan, demonstrating the initiative, did what any talented practitioner would do. He called the project partner from his cell phone and begged for help.
“Can you please get us out of here? We are stuck!”

An hour later, we started to hear the beginnings of a response from outside – someone had found the elevator we were stuck in and was speaking to us through the closed doors. By this time, the team’s buzz level was getting low and we were all getting agitated. Fortunately, our project partner got building security to open the door for a bit. At this point we saw the light, literally. The elevator had stopped with about the top 1/3 of the doorway still accessible, so we had a perfect eye-level view of our partner’s feet. This space was large enough for building security to get a fan running, so that we could get some air. Not long after, other team members arrived to provide support and/or laugh at our misfortune.

At this point, margaritas would have helped tremendously in dulling both our thirst and our senses, but bottled water provided by our supportive team members was satisfying enough. Our project partner demonstrated his innate leadership as he, with a top-shelf margarita in his hand, mingled with the building security team and overlooked their work as they made an effort to get us out.

In the meantime, we hit another snitch. The elevator repair people had not yet shown up when the elevator door closed on us again. The fire brigade was called upon to get us out. They made it there fast and re-opened the door, but even these courageous public servants, who regularly stare down blazing infernos, were no match for the legal issues involved with extracting us from the elevator without the certified repair team. Apparently they too had seen the movie Speed, and without the services of Keanu Reeves to frantically pull us out of a slowly collapsing elevator, they were unwilling to take the chance. So we were left to hang out (pun intended) between the third and fourth floors.

And so, we waited some more. While all of us were understandably feeling distressed, there were a few unfortunate souls who had taken full advantage of the bar during dinner; and for whom, the call of nature had only gotten stronger. In the midst of the stuffiness, thirstiness, claustrophobia, agitation, and pee-pee dances, one could see team spirit as friends took care of each other and significant others held hands trying to calm each other down.
A small child had stood quietly in the elevator with his father. He had not said a word during the whole fiasco. In fact, when his father asked if he wanted to get off the elevator (he was small enough to fit through safely), he told them that he wanted to stay. Why, you might ask? “Because my Daddy’s in here,” he replied matter-of-factly. Who but a child could convey a simple and true perspective of a situation like this?

In the mean time, the heat was rising and we were uncomfortable. Fortunately, I had a whole pack of gum. That gave us something to chew on and ebb the anxiety. After two hours, our saviors arrived. And of course, they had to shut the door to repair the problem. When the elevator door shut on us, we panicked. The little fan from the partially opened door had been a blessing. There was a desperate shortage of fresh air and I was praying that my asthma did not kick-in. The elevator dropped again. Adam went into frenzy…AGAIN. Another drop, but this time, we were all quiet so that Will could demonstrate the motion of elevator to the lady on the telephone.

While we were all stuck inside- I asked myself, here we are, seventeen consultants who were just tested. Can we work as a team? Can we perform in highly pressured situations?

The answer is YES! There is no doubt we can produce. This was one team building activity that I will never forget. We all learned more about each other and yes, we were also given a lesson in grace under pressure - by a five-year old.

Finally, at 11:30 PM the door opened. I tried to swallow as much of fresh air I could possibly manage. The fire brigade and security people greeted us outside.

“Hey! Nisha” Will called out later.

I looked back, still trying to catch my breath.

“Happy Birthday!” he responded.

Next year, I’ll settle for a gift certificate.