Building a Strong Team

We work best with people we know and like. Did you know that we are seven times more likely to stay engaged when we work with people we consider friends? Seven times! Also, 25 percent of employees stay in their job, not because of the job, the pay, or the manager, but because of their coworkers. They like who they work with! These statistics* show the value of building a strong team.

What’s a Manager to Do?

You might be thinking, “So my people don’t have friends at work, what am I supposed to do? Is there anything I can do to help friendships flourish?” While you can’t make people be “best friends” you can create the right atmosphere.

Bring your team together to socialize. If possible, come together once per quarter. You can make the event serve double duty if you also use it as recognition for a recent achievement. Offer your appreciation and make time to socialize.

Barbeques and potlucks are inexpensive and provide lots of opportunity for conversation. A game of Frisbee or baseball can get people laughing and talking. I have also led teams through improvisational theater games (think Whose Line Is It Anyway with far more mistakes and laughter). Consider too, a board game. There are many that are appropriate for teams.

Fun outings are also great. I have heard of teams that go rock-climbing or rafting. Other groups have taken bus trips to sporting events. Some arrange to spend a couple of hours with a local chef learning how to make a signature dish.

I recently had someone tell me that carpooling to meetings gave some team members a chance to get to know each other better. No matter what the activity, when it provides a relaxed atmosphere, people can develop stronger bonds.

Virtual Teams

But what do you do when your team telecommutes, or spends their days in a different office than you as the manager, possibly scattered around the globe? How do you build strong relationships at a distance?

Well, first bring them together as a group as often as you can afford to. Even if you can’t physically get together, you can still “meet.” Use your video-conferencing equipment and get creative. Meet in your respective conference rooms, fire up the conferencing system, and eat a meal together. You might even find you can play a game or watch the same movie by video-conference.

Don’t have video-conferencing equipment? Then provide opportunities for individuals in different locations to interact with each other. Ask them to co-lead a project. Send one to the other’s office for a week or two to learn a new process. Send two people from different locations to training at the same time. Ask them to compare notes on how to implement what they learned.

© Copyright Cindy Ventrice, 2006

Cindy Ventrice of Potential Unlimited Seminars has been a consultant/trainer  for the over 20 years. She is currently offering presentations and workshops on topics that include Leadership,  Management and Telecommuting.
She can be reached at 831-476-4224, or email: CVentrice@potential-unltd.com  

 

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Building a virtual team is one of the many topics covered in the workshop Managing from a Distance. Want more information?

 

* from Tom Rath’s Vital Friends (Gallup Press).