Have you ever wondered what makes someone a great leader (besides interpersonal skills and qualities)? It’s a team that stands behind them!
So you are certain that you have hired the right people. But are you motivating them so that they give their best? A little bit of team building would act as a perfect motivator! Team building fosters creativity and allows your workforce to connect on a personal level.
You may be giving them vouchers to buy Spectrum TV plans through Spectrum net billing at discount or similar other rewards time after time. These rewards won’t work unless you are really focusing on team building.How to do that, you ask? tag along!
1: Socialize Outside of Work
By fostering friendly relationships, you can prevent competitiveness and mistrust among your team. Which makes it essential to socialize outside of work. This will also help in building their confidence so that they will not hesitate in asking about any problem. If you were friendly, they will more focus on asking rather then doing the wrong thing.
Schedule a happy hour in the form of a movie night or a football game. Once a month would do. This is a great opportunity to unwind and get to know each other. This could also form grounds for friendships that would last for a long time. This thing will help you in building a strong relationship with your team. Everyone knows that there is an extreme pressure on each employee everyday and to make it easier for them you need to build a relationship that can only be done in this way.
2: Arrange Volunteer Work
If your team can volunteer their time for a local charity, then make them participate. They will feel good about helping others. This activity will involve everyone and they would be working as a team outside work. Since everyone will be sharing a common goal i.e., to serve the community, they would be willing to put differences aside (if any) and work together. This way they will not only coordinate with each other but also the new people outside the office. There are chances too that they can find a person that is capable of joining the team but didn’t get the opportunity.
Examples of volunteer work include sharing a meal in a local shelter, organizing a clothing drive, or arranging a local charity event itself. This thing is not only good for team building but also for the inner peace. Serving the humanity is really a peaceful thing. This thing will impact in-directly to you working capacity. You will feel relaxed and positive after helping the humanity.
3: Encourage Collaboration, Not Competition
When the environment is competitive and the focus of your employees is on winning, they will fail to learn from the experience. Therefore, choose such activities that encourage them to work together and solve a problem.
Competition is good if it is considered without the notice of the team. But if they are aware of it they will be more on defeating the other rather then to learn a new thing or helping the other.
4: Consider Everyone’s Needs
Sure, most people enjoy playing softball and it’s a nice team-building sport but not everyone on your staff might be up for this challenge. Those who are not interested will feel left out.
While organizing events, consider everyone’s health and physical condition. Choose an activity that is appropriate for everyone. Group hike, rock climbing, and yoga class are some of the physical activities most people enjoy. If you are arranging an activity that is not for all, then this will also create a space between that specific person. For Example, you have arranged a mini football court for a match but some of them can’t run much due to their personal reasons then it would be unfair with them and this thing will create a space between them.
5: Give Them a Say
A quick trick to keep your employees motivated and engaged is to give them a say in decision-making. It will make them feel like they have a stake in the process.
Every employee deserves to be heard. Of course, some decisions are only to be made by top management but whenever ether’s room, allow your team to weigh in. They will feel as though they have a voice in the organization. From this activity, creative solutions will stem.
6: Arrange a Field Trip
The best way of capturing the full attention of a large group is to take them on a field trip. It’s a perfect opportunity to make someone express themselves organically. Everyone will participate and communicate without overthinking. It will spark joy in work and personal life.
Don’t make it just a travel trip, otherwise what fun would it be. To ensure high levels of engagement and participation, arrange some fun activities too.
Field trips can be expensive so make it a once-a-year thing. Choose 3-4 locations for the trip and allow everyone to vote. Give them a chance to feel included! This way, they will feel like their opinion really matters and they will speak openly to express their feelings/opinions. If you are deciding by yourself then they will be with you on the trip but will not enjoy the time.
7: Get Better At Conflict Management
When a bunch of people is working, it’s natural for a clash to occur. Before the conflict goes out of hand, foster a culture of managing the clash as soon as possible.
Invite the parties involved over to a discussion. Let them share their ideas and opinions. Being a leader, you mustn’t pick sides. However, provide instructions to resolve the conflict. Come up with the best possible solution after hearing out both parties. Outside office, they will not feels like you are a boss. They will share their opinions like friends and will speak openly about the things that they will not express openly in the office.
8: Make It Regular
Team building activities should be regular. In fact, they should be carried out every other month to keep your team’s morale high. The big events like team dinners or field trips should be annual whereas other fun activities, giveaways, and rewards should be regular.
