Your company’s business is humming on all cylinders – productivity is up, new business is booming, there’s a buzz about your company inside and outside the office – and you just want to keep the good vibes going. To celebrate your success, why not plan a fun team outing or team building exercise to further build company togetherness.
Working side-by-side eight hours a day, every day, for 52 weeks a year means you’re already a team, right? Wrong. You don’t hire a team, you build one. And the results can be amazing as team building builds trust. Trust is not only calming, it’s a time saver. Trust is foundational. When a team has a foundation of trust, there’s less second guessing, less duplication of tasks, a high level of confidence, and more sharing.
Even with a foundation of trust, things can and will go awry. A team that has a process for communicating will be able to solve problems before they burrow their way into your team culture. Part of team building should also be to clear the way for recognizing and navigating more complex issues that may be project driven, rather than just the result of a personality clash.
Keeping a team motivated relies on members believing in their mission. You won’t stay motivated if you don’t believe in the work you’re doing. Engagement plays a huge part in this. When you create a culture of engagement, people feel vested in their company and their work. So, engagement and motivation go hand-in-hand. Team building can improve both. Truth is, every company at some time or another could benefit from team building activities. (Smart ones invest in them on a regular basis!) The trick is to find activities that appeal to as many employees as possible. After all, everyone has a different idea of fun. Here are four tips for a better team building event.
Get out of your comfort zone – the point of team building is to push your team forward, not fall back on the same-old practices. Ditch the company picnic, the conference room pizzas. New habits come from trying new things – things that push team members to interact in new and different ways. Here’s an idea: Give employees a helmet, a high-intensity go-kart, and let them race each other at a venue like Supercharged Entertainment on Route One in Wrentham. Their 125,000-square-foot facility has the world’s largest indoor multi-level karting track. It’ll get their hearts racing…and build comradery with every high-speed lap. Then afterwards, visit Supercharged Entertainment’s full-service restaurant and bar, the all-new Tap & Tavern.
So, save the company speeches and don’t make your outing feel like a day at the office. Resist the temptation to work in company messages, leadership skills, or in some way generate a tangible ROI you can take back to the CFO. The real return: Spending time together and sharing an experience that allows bonding to happen more organically are far more effective.
So, are there signs that your company could benefit from team building? Reach out to Corey Phinney @ cphinney@superchargedMA.com for help designing your next team building event.