Approaching the Resistant Team Member

Not all team members will appreciate your team building efforts. Some people gravitate toward working as a team and others toward working independently. Here are a few ideas about engaging with a resistant team member. Consider his/her personality. Some people are just naturally more cautious, private and contemplative. They aren't going to jump into activities right away. Be careful about demanding they participate in all team initiatives with the same enthusiasm your outgoing team members will display. Use variety. Don't do high energy team building activities or require full participation all the time. Keep some initiatives low-key. Talk one-on-one. When you can, spend some time with this team member in private and ask his or her advice...

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Integrity in Appreciation

I was listening to a leadership podcast recently. The speaker was sharing ways to show appreciation to your team. Most of the ideas were spot on, but I was concerned about one of them. This business owner greets his employee's birthdays with a Happy Birthday email. Nice idea, right? Well, he went on to share how the process was automated so that employees automatically get an email from him on their birthday. His assistant reminds him of whose birthday it is so in case they thank him in the hall, he will know what they are talking about. Ouch. That struck me as rather impersonal and borderline dishonest. Now, before you challenge me about automated systems, yes, I think there is a place for them. I, for example, do utilize pre-written text...

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Is Your Timing Off?

"Hi honey. What did the doctor say?" Innocent question, unless you are asking it at a fast food restaurant, of a man getting ready to serve customers, in front of said customers. Then it is poorly timed and inconsiderate. This was a true story I observed not long ago. Before you judge this person though, think about the following points regarding your timing when interacting with your team. Do you allow people to settle in before hitting them with questions? Maybe you don't mind "hitting the ground running" when you get to work, but many people prefer to have time to take off their coats, get their computer booted up, use the restroom, get coffee, insert routine here______ before tackling their tasks. If you've waited this long to get an answer,...

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Team Building Activity: Are You Puzzled?

What's the point? This exercise requires cooperation, strategy, and project management. It cannot be completed by just one person, although various employees may spend more time on it than others. The goal is to complete a project using something from everyone, and to celebrate the accomplishment without having to identify the "best" contributor. What you'll need: A puzzle made up of enough pieces that you can equally divide among all employees in a particular department. Each employee should have no more than 10 pieces. What to do:  Announce that the team will be assembling a puzzle together over the course of a period of time that you select. (I recommend your first puzzle take no longer than two weeks to complete.) Distribute baggies...

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Tangible Improvements to Workplace Culture

There's a lot of talk about culture in workplaces, the atmosphere created by the people who spend time there and the norms that everyone in that particular environment adapts to. Cultures vary widely. You'll find a different culture at Google than you will on Wall Street. Part of that relates to the type of industry, the need (or not) for formality, etc.  There are several tangible elements to consider as you develop a sense of culture and teamwork unique to your organization. Here are some random but important segments of a workplace culture. Purpose. Do your employees have a real purpose for working for you other than getting a paycheck? Do you get them excited about the mission of your organization? Meetings. The type of meetings you...

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