(Image by Marek Studzinski from Pixabay)
“Thoughts are magnetic. What you think you attract”.
(John Gordon)
Dictionary.com defines teambuilding as the action or process of causing a group of people to work together effectively as a team, especially by means of activities and events designed to increase motivation and promote cooperation.
I have always been a fan of conducting teambuilding activities throughout the years to keep teams focused and pulling in the same direction. I have been fortunate to create teambuilding platforms at UCF and FSU to enhance our team dynamics and set us up to accomplish our work goals. Teambuilding is a critical component to organizational success and is necessary to remind each team member how interconnected we are daily.
I have leveraged the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) at every stop I have made since I left the Air Force. I find the MBTI an excellent way to understand team members’ communication style and allows us to adjust to how individuals prefer to communicate internally and externally.
My MBTI is ISTJ (Introverted/Sensing/Thinking/Judging) and is displayed on my desk to remind my team of my preferred communication style. Each team member gets a desk placard highlighting their MBTI to help them communicate with others and serves as a reminder we all have different preferences and work styles. One is not better than the other, simply different.
I was introduced to Clifton Strengths while at UCF. I was charged with building a teambuilding program for Career Center staff and Clifton Strengths provided us with a platform to build on the strengths of everyone on the team. We reached out and hired a certified consultant to come in and work with us to learn how to maximize team strengths so we could grow the organization. This was an eye-opening teambuilding experience for the group and has remained an integral tool for me when working to build my respective team dynamics.
Ice breaker activities are another great way to bring teams together and enhance socialization. The ice breakers used do not have to be elaborate but should have an element of fun while the team learns more about each other. The platform should enhance communication and help the team find ways to discover new things about teammates.
My latest teambuilding adventure was introduced to me by one of my new team members. She found out I am a huge reader and shared a leadership book from her library with me. I had never heard of the book but was intrigued by the concept after she explained the premise of the book. The full title, The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel your Life, Work and Team is an international best seller and the author, Jon Gordon is sought by organizations to share his Energy Bus knowledge and help people continue to grow. I watched several of his talks on YouTube to get a better understanding of his concept to determine if this was something I could utilize. He has a ton of stuff on YouTube so recommend taking some time to explore his work to see how it can help you and your team move forward.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jon+gordon++
The book is an extremely easy read and reminds me of the classic, Who Moved My Cheese but in an actual work environment. I was impressed with how his concepts could be applied to my current work situation as I had to find new and inventive ways to conduct teambuilding while maintaining physical distancing due to COVID-19. Never imagined 6 months ago I would be able to implement teambuilding activities with team members in 8 different locations via virtual platforms. I chose the Energy Bus because the 10 rules identified are easy to follow and fit where I wanted to take the team. We must get creative with our work products now and needed them to understand we must pull in the same direction.
Leveraging the https://www.theenergybus.com/ site, I was able to send each team member a bus ticket to invite them onto my bus. It felt funny generating the ticket, but it seemed to excite people when they received the invitation. Most of the team reached out to ask if they needed to present their ticket at our scheduled teambuilding session. It was not required but a lot of them had their ticket ready just in case. 😊
10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life
- You are the driver of the Bus
- Desire, vision, and focus move your bus in the right direction
- Fuel your ride with positive energy
- Invite people on your bus and share your vision for the road ahead
- Do not waste energy on those who do not get on your bus
- Post a sign that says “No Energy Vampires Allowed” on your bus
- Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride
- Love your passengers
- Drive with purpose
- Have fun and enjoy the ride
We were able to go through the 10 Rules and discuss the impact each had on our new team adventures. I gave the team my view of the 10 Rules and how I planned to leverage each of them. We went around the virtual room and had each team member provide their feedback on each rule and how they would incorporate the rule daily. I was pleasantly surprised when one of my teammates asked if she could give a full rundown for ALL the rules. She did a fantastic job summarizing each rule and how it would be incorporated in her daily interactions. This set the tone for the rest of the teambuilding session and let me know we are heading in the right direction.
I am always looking for ways to get the team to the next level. Will continue to research teambuilding activities but highly recommend The Energy Bus if you are looking for ways to bring a team together.
What teambuilding activities does your organization use? How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your team’s ability to gel?
“Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone’s and everyone’s negativity. Your certainty must be greater than everyone’s doubt”.
(John Gordon)
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