Maintaining the positive energy after your team building day

Most team building events are held on one day. There are some that stretch over a few days but in this era of technology, speed and instant outcomes, most team building activities are delivered in or within a single day.

For those of you who have just or recently participated in a team building event, you know and understand the positivity and the team spirit that emerged from it.

It’s all well and good to think ‘job done’ and return to the normal everyday processes of business.

But as a business leader or manager, the challenge is how you can now maintain that positive energy and the revitalised spirit amongst your team that was created from your team building day.

You probably made a significant investment in time, staff and dollars to undertake this team building program, so it’s time now to maximise this investment and reap the rewards.

A focus should now be on continuing the experience from your team building day into your everyday business life.

So how can you do that? From our experience as team building specialists in Australia and New Zealand, we have compiled five useful tips for you to consider to maintain the positive energy in your team.

They are simple, they are easy to implement and they are derived from a proven formula that many of you have probably heard of – the FISH! philosophy.

1. Visual office displays: Use visuals in your office to reiterate your goals and values. They can be located in areas that all your team can view each day such as the lunch room or near the photocopier. The traditional visual thermometer is a great example of how your staff can monitor how the business is tracking towards a major goal and smaller milestones along the way. Something visual provides an opportunity to be creative and fun potentially using an image that relates to your business i.e. a graphic of a chocolate bar if you are in the confectionary industry.

2. Interesting guest speaker: Why don’t you organise a guest speaker regularly to address your team. This is an opportunity for your staff to hear insights from an expert in their field. The topic may relate to a business function directly or an experience the speaker has had may provide motivation or inspiration to others. A good way to determine who may be an appropriate speaker is to consult with your team on areas they you would like to hear more about.

3. Regular weekly emails: A regular email to your staff at a scheduled time each week reinforces your commitment to team development. You may wish to focus this email on your company values, how you are developing as a team towards your goals or keep a specific message top of mind for everyone. It is important to keep this email simple, brief and potentially visual. However don’t limit your team communication to email.

4. Verbal team sharing: Schedule regular meetings between departments, managers or all staff with a focus to share wins, challenges and ideas. Reinforce this gathering as a time for everyone to contribute to each other equally and without criticism. You may need to lead to start the ‘ball rolling’ or empower others to lead the discussion.

5. Lead by example: Ultimately, if you live your company values and exude the culture of your organisation each day, your team will live it with you. It may be difficult due to the size of the organisation to meet with all your staff each week. However, being available to your team and being visible to your team, can go a long way to leading by example.

Also, book your next team building day and schedule this in with your team. Consider keeping them in suspense about what it will be to keep the focus on ‘fun’. It continues to highlight your commitment to team development and gives them something a little ‘extra’ to look forward to.