Seven Tips for Successful Team Building

Team building is a straight-forward process that yields many rewards once you get it going.  Savvy leaders use team building to help their employees get along better and get more done. Here are some key ideas to help you get a team building program started in your workplace.

1. Set up a weekly, ongoing team building meeting.  This shows everyone you are committed to the program.

2. Find activities that help people build relationships and talk with each other on a deeper level.  When people learn how to interact more meaningfully they find more ways to collaborate.

3. Focus on people’s behaviors; what they will actually do to be better team players.  The goal here is to replace old dysfunctional behaviors with new ones that work.

4. Set up a calm, friendly atmosphere with no interruptions.  Dedicate all your energy to the activities and don’t let anything get in the way.

5. Everyone, especially leadership should be involved. It’s highly desirable if team building is learned first by the leaders and then moves to other departments.

6. Stay away from competitive activities where someone “wins.”  You’re trying to create teams of people who are trying to work well with each other, not against each other.

7. Have fun and keep doing it over time.  Team building doesn’t work unless you do it long-term to shift the current behaviors.

The key to effective team building is to set up a work environment where people feel comfortable and trust each other. There are no set rules you have to follow, just remember that you’re trying to help people connect in ways that are meaningful to them and create deeper relationships. How will you get started?

By Guy Farmer, Team Building Workshops and Seminars