Booz Allen Norfolk: The Value of Laughter

“I joined Booz Allen to protect my country.” “To help our warfighters.” “To walk a tightrope in the trees!”

Okay, people don’t really join us for the tightrope but it is a perk in Norfolk, where our values come to life in unusual ways.

At some firms, values are buzzwords to recite instead of principles to live and breathe. Not here. Our values are the backbone and heartbeat of Booz Allen. Which is why Norfolk’s series of values-themed employee events is popular with everyone from interns to vice presidents.

Each activity focuses on one of our five values. We start with a discussion of what the value means to us and end by brainstorming ways to apply the value to our work. And in between? Well, that’s where the tree-climbing, paint-spattered, riddle-solving fun happens:

Unflinching Courage
We bring bold thinking to everything we do—including the treetop obstacle course at a nearby adventure park, which includes tightrope walking, skateboarding, and trust exercises 40 feet in the air. (Gulp.)

Champion’s Heart
During a group painting session at a local studio, Norfolk employees create paintings that are beautiful and paintings that … aren’t. But the real work of art is finding joy in the pursuit. 

Collective Ingenuity
A locked door. A ticking clock. A common goal. To exercise problem-solving skills, teams combine diverse perspectives and resources to unlock an escape room—together.

Ferocious Integrity
Another challenge leads teams on a fast and furious digital scavenger hunt through the town where we collect clues, solve puzzles, and do right.

Passionate Service
Volunteering with the Special Olympics, the American Cancer Society, International Coastal Cleanup, and other groups isn’t a special event here: it’s a shared passion for building community and it’s fundamental to everything we do.

The Norfolk employee events program encourages our team to go beyond water-cooler small talk, helping us network, collaborate, and grow.