Have you ever seen a team with little to no turnover? The people on the team always seem happy at work, highly engaged, and productive. Do you wonder what is happening with that team, with that leader, to make this a reality?
A few years ago, I had the privilege of working alongside a leader named Gina, who managed a fairly large team of a few hundred people. Her turnover was low, her outcomes were high, and people liked coming to work and always stepped up to help each other.
Being a curious sort, I had to find out what she was doing so I could try to replicate it.
I spent a day with her to learn her secrets. What I quickly discovered was that her team members were happy because Gina spent time getting to know them—not just as employees but as people. She knew about their families, their outside interests, their vacation plans, and more.
Gina shared that she and the other leaders on her team worked hard to build in time for fun. They did this through team-building activities, shared meals, giving back to the community, friendly competitions, and other activities. The result was a group of happy people who liked and respected each other and were there for one another.
Thinking about Gina, I wanted to share a few ideas you might consider for your team (large or small) to have some fun (Encourage the Heart), build connections (Enable Others to Act), and be people, not just employees (Challenge the Process).
Team Building Activity
I always cringed when we had “ice breakers” at the beginning of a team meeting or training. However, they always ended up being fun and a great way to learn something new about a co-worker. Why not infuse a little team-building fun using one of the ideas in this article: 5 Fun Team-Building Activities to Boost Your Company Culture. You might get a few groans, but in the end, trust that your team will have fun getting to know their co-workers in a new and different way.
Give Back as a Team
I used to work with an amazing leader who annually took her team to a community location to serve together as a group. They helped at Habitat for Humanity, the local food pantry assisted at the children’s hospital, and more. She always talked about how her team was able to bond in a new and different way as they served side by side. This article has some great suggestions for teams to give back to their community: Charity Team Building Ideas.
Potluck Picnic and Field Day
The last day of school was always the most fun when I was younger. No more school work, some friendly competition, time to hang out with friends, and laugh a lot during our annual field day. Why not elevate that experience and plan a team field day and potluck picnic? Grill up some burgers, have everyone sign up to bring a side dish, and plan a day of fun for your team at a local park. This article has some great ideas for planning an adult field day: Field Day Games.
Have other suggestions for fun ways to engage teams? Let us know! We would love to feature them in a future Quick Tips article.