What’s your go-to strategy for team building?
Intentional team building is crucial for developing strong, cohesive, high-performing teams.
The first time I experienced intentional team building was in the build-up to Euro 92 in Sweden. The whole England squad prepared for the tournament in a training camp in the middle of nowhere in Finland. A pre-eminent sports psychologist was with us, and we spent a week or so training and engaging in various indoor and outdoor group exercises.
To start, we all underwent a psychometric test and, based on the results, were put into four different groups. As you can imagine, back in 92, with a bunch of footballers, albeit internationals, there was plenty of hilarity and larking about rather than pondering the tasks and, more importantly, the outcomes. The psychologist, prior to any of the tasks being undertaken, wrote inside a sealed envelope the results of where the four teams would finish at the end of all the tasks.
You guessed it, he got the four teams in precisely the correct order – which blew my mind! At one point, we nearly played the tournament without our centre half, Des Walker, who managed to get lost on his own during an orienteering task in the middle of a remote Finnish forest!!
However, the activities and the reasons behind the outcome were powerful.
Here are a few limited examples of some effective strategies for intentional team building:
- Team Building Activities like escape rooms, sports/fitness classes, volunteering together for a good cause
- Establish Team Norms and Values by collaboratively creating a Team Charter
- Implement a mentoring program
- Regular 360-degree feedback sessions
- Invest in shared learning experiences, group training sessions and workshops
Remember, the key to successful intentional team building is consistency and follow-through. It’s not about one-off activities but rather creating a culture of continuous improvement and connection.
So, what’s your go-to strategy for team building?
#Mindset #Teambuilding #PersonalGrowth #TeamExcellence #LeadershipDevelopment #HighPerformanceTeams