In preparation to facilitate “team building” events it was important for me to reflect on 2 + decades of corporate experiences in team building.
My discovery, what a big difference between participating in arranged team building activities vs. the responsibility when supporting or leading team building for real value add.
Looking back, I seldom arranged traditional type team building events for my teams, probably I subconsciously processed that corporate headquarter events which I attended were mostly a waste of money; superficial and never achieving longer term value. Transactional but never transformational.
The team building activities that I participated in felt good, but they did not translate into better performances in my job.
The world is cluttered with clever coaches, consultants, and mentors; yet very sparse with a pedigree seeking transformational improvement. Client requests often reflect expectations of quick fixes, yet most service providers don’t have the courage to push back, to be forthright; or they just in it for the buck.
An important element in team building is upfront clarification of what leadership wants to achieve and how these relate to actual work experiences. Upfront clarification of objectives.
My perspective is that team building is not an activity; it’s a habit, it’s what the team does day in and day out. It is like a norm of behaviour, subconsciously how associates communicate with trust and respect. To have the value of team building stick, it should relate directly to work experiences.
Many plough into team building activities without even articulating the key qualities of a good team player. Traits that I mostly observe in good team players is their understanding of how their roles fit into the bigger picture; treating others with respect and always willing to support others. Also they have the inner security to be flexible and adapt; and they genuinely seek to understand others.
For the sake of emphasis, I will repeat that team building should focus on work related examples.
In team building meetings associates should develop a common understanding of each others roles and goals, give each other psychological safety to participate freely and focus on actions that benefit others and other groups.
How to increase the quality of conversation in team building meetings? Leadership must reinforce the permission to say or ask anything; and leadership must ensure that everyone feels safe so that conversations grow broader and deeper. My role as facilitator includes ensuring that the group gives their full attention to each person speaking (fully heard), and to share what is valuable about people’s questions and comments.
The bottom line is that we must weave team building into our daily office habits.
Think Bigg-r 