Team building in the workplace…

When people go into work two things can happen: they will go in with the mindset that they love their job and the people they work with, or they go in less motivated and do the same routine every day without investing themselves in the company or in their coworkers. How do you motivate people to become part of the team?  The case for investing in team members’ level of engagement is strong.  It will result in stronger ties and “ownership” of the company and ultimately impact your bottom line in a positive way.

There are many ways to connect people in the workplace. It can range from small team building activities to big training conferences. In this article, we’ll address three as a basis from which to start building a strong, committed team:

• Hiring

• Communication

• Trust

These days when hiring new employees, a major component is how well they fit in with the rest of the office. Hiring people that connect well with other team members makes for a more productive environment from the start. Sometimes, when a new employee begins work in the office, although they were hired because they'd be a good fit, they lose their “excited new hire” attitude after a couple of days. That will eventually lead to them leaving your company…not an outcome you want. This is when team building really becomes important. From day one of a new hire showing up, have employees interact with them.  It'll help everyone, and especially the new hire, feel more comfortable and increase productivity right away.

Try this:  Have everyone on the ENTIRE floor, department or company make sure they communicate with the new hire within the first three days.  Whether they call, send an email or stop by, make sure the new hire gets to meet EVERYONE! This may seem outrageous and unnecessary, but it will create a memory that new hire will never forget.

Promote more effective communication between employees.  Take one day every 6 months to help your employees get to know each other better by doing something outside of the office, together.  With this opportunity to have more informal interaction and communication, your employees will feel more connected to the office and their fellow team members. Having that steady relationship amongst employees and bosses creates a better and stress-free environment for everyone. Employees will start to expresses their opinions and feel more comfortable sharing new ideas and solutions. With everyone on the same page accomplishing goals as a team, your productivity will rise substantially. This will also prompt employees who usually stay in the background to jump at the opportunity to participate in new challenges.

 Try This:  Once a month, let everyone stop working at noon and take them somewhere special.  Surprise them by keeping the location and activity a secret. By not telling them where they are going, it will build up the excitement.  Rent kayaks and go on a lake, go to an indoor “I FLY” location and let them fly, go bungee jumping…let your imagination soar and be outrageous.  You will not only bond the team, but you’ll also create memories that they’ll never forget.

The trust component may seem obvious, but it is critical. It is the cornerstone of building any good team.  Trust is built by consistent team member and team leader interactions and requires time. This can be achieved through activities that can be done around the office like giving people the opportunity to take on new projects or taking a few minutes from a meeting to talk about trust. Building trust will increase the consistency and quality of work. As a leader, participating in these trust exercises with your employees gives them the chance to see anyone in a leadership position as more of an equal or a source of guidance. The overall morale of the office will improve, once again creating a rise in productivity.

Try this:  Call your team into a meeting and divide them into pairs.  Then blindfold one of the partners, open the doors and let them walk each other throughout the entire office, building or floor with one partner giving instructions to the blindfolded one.  Not only will this outrageous activity build trust among the participants, it will demonstrate to those walking through the hallways that your company is fun and values trust.

Investing resources and time in outrageous team building exercises will give your employees the chance to know you, the leader, along with their team members and will ultimately be a catalyst for better team performance. The overall effect of team building efforts will produce a higher level of engagement, commitment, ownership and productivity.  Always add that “outrageous” element to anything you do and your employees will see how, by pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones, they can have more fun and get better results.

For more ideas on the benefits of teambuilding, pushing limits and outrageous approaches, go to  www.lorrainegrubbs.com or email lorraine@lorrainegrubbs.com