Team Boosting instead of ‘team building’. Why? When you say ‘team building’ some people instantly cringe. It’s starting to get a bit of a weird reputation. Team building is associated with out-of-office activities that have very little to do with work. And be honest: another evening in a dark bowling alley with semi-drunk colleagues is not going to do much for the productivity of your team.
Then why do we put time and budget aside for team-building activities?
Because it’s nice to get out of the office, and not focus on work for a bit. But the aim is not to actually build a team. The team is already there. The aim is to boost the team’s effectiveness. To build connections, increase productivity, inspire creativity or create trust. Even if it’s simply to have some fun, what you do together should add to the overall team engagement.
🗓️ Before sending out a 'save the date' and planning your activities, you should be very clear about what it is that you want to accomplish. Start with the question: ‘What would be good for this team? What type of boost do they need?’.
What does a team need?
When an engagement survey is done well, you’ll find out what individuals need to be ‘more engaged’. Often results show employees would like more clarity on company goals, better ways of working, and more money (always more money 😅). Rarely do they collectively say they would be more engaged ‘‘if they went on another boat trip drinking together’’.
🛥️ Keep doing boat trips, bowling parties or karaoke nights 🎤 Because they are fun, and contribute to a team being connected. But realise they aren’t a quick fix to boost your team or increase engagement levels. Plus, these activities tend to cost quite a bit of planning time and money, which most of us don’t have. So use the budget you have to get out and about, but no worries about money because…
Team boosting can be a daily free activity!
Another bonus is that most activities can easily be done with remote colleagues as well. Consider what your team needs right now. Even better, don’t just consider… ask them! What would help them to get into a Team Flow?
Team Flow
Close your eyes and think about the time when you worked in the best team you’ve ever worked in. You loved working in that team. You were productive, excited, and upbeat. You were probably killing it too, achieving results, and hitting milestones. And people noticed it, your team was on a roll and you were appreciated.
You’ve experienced Team Flow. It’s great. (And if you’ve never experienced this, keep reading how to get there!) This is what you want for your current team 🔥.
Team Flow refers to the ‘collective experience of team members working together seamlessly towards a common goal’. When a team is in a state of flow, each member is fully engaged in their role and working towards the shared objective. The team is highly motivated, and communication and collaboration are smooth and effective.
💡 Now, how do we get into this state of Flow? Team Boosting will help! 💡
Team Boosting
There isn’t one magical solution that works for every team.
Instead, you review these 4 categories and identify what can be improved. We’ve linked to a few examples of activities you can do in each category.
1. Clarity on Direction
Often the company goals and strategy aren’t 100% clear. Hold a session to deep dive into these, so the whole team fully understands.
Identify the challenges of the company, help them see the bigger picture and how they contribute.
Create a Team Roadmap, so everyone knows from each other what you are working on. This is also a great way to show other teams what you are working on together. It’s definitely not just for tech teams.
Identify the Super Powers of your team and find ways to use these more often
Find ways to increase levels of autonomy for team members\
2. Ways of Working
Create a Team Contract or Team Canvas to ensure everyone knows what is expected
Get detailed on Communication. Align on where, when and how you share information, so everyone is always in the know.
Dull meetings are the worst. Have an agenda and agree on what you want to achieve in the meeting. Celebrate when you’ve achieved your goal, maybe even end the meeting early.
Make all meetings memorable, so people will look forward to them. Introduce icebreakers and energisers!
Ask your team members what obstacles and distractions they would most like to get rid of. Work together to achieve this!
3. Trust & Safety
Practice feedback. Immediate and respectful feedback from your colleagues is very powerful. Positive feedback should be given way more often than negative.
Identify personal preferences, talk about them, and respect them.
Build a true learning culture, where you celebrate fuck-ups and encourage trial and error. Make failing fun, and more creativity will follow.
Give rigorous transparency a try, for example with As Me Anything sessions.
4. Have Fun
Celebrate all achievements, even small ones. Use a recurring moment and ask everyone to submit achievements, as well as personal ones.
Learning as a team can be fun and a real booster, especially if it’s a skill you can use at work together.
Get out there! Shared Experiences rarely happen in the office. This is where the work trips, hei-dagen and beach days come in!
When you manifest a successful future for yourself and your team, and you share this with each other - dreams become reality.
Don’t forget to be silly, laughter is contagious. Schedule a Disco Bingo session.
Let’s create irresistible organizations…and boost those teams! 💖
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