Does Team Building Equal Building a Team to You?

‘Oh goody’, we’re going to have a team offsite (which is really onsite in the old boardroom), and ‘oh yay’ we’re going to have sandwiches and maybe even salad. 

Everyone wants a free lunch, right?
 
You’ve all been there. You know what I’m talking about – one of those team-planning sessions where they bring in only two Diet Cokes and three cans of Sprite for a team of 7. The food is the same, boring sandwiches and the last person to arrive always gets stuck with the egg salad…every. single. planning. meeting. 
 
You do your “team building” [sarcastic voice] – “If you were an animal, what kind would you be and why”.  And then your manager divvies up the agenda to each team member so that everyone can contribute.  Together you wordsmith the team objectives from last year so they sound more like this year.  That’s the planning done.
 
The big crescendo of the day is to all go out to dinner together (even though no one really wants to).  Everybody sits with the persons they prefer and make idle chit chat, watching their phones carefully as they don’t want to miss an early train home.  And then, everyone is gone promptly by 6pm.  
 
Did you feel the team bond?? Do you feel setup for success for the coming year of challenges? Did they work through challenges they anticipate for the year?  Was there candour about process?
 
Lets Kick That Old Way Up a Few Notches!

I want to amp up your thinking on team building – I want to really elevate and place emphasis on BUILDING a team.  Building takes effort.  Lets put a stop to meaningless onsite/offsites and start creating momentous building blocks for high performing, productive, ‘kicka$$’ teams!!
 
Who’s with me?
 
Definition of High Performing, Productive, 'Kicka$$' Teams:

• All members know why the team needs to exist for the company
• Each person understands the deliverables that need to get done
• Individually, each member is a bit stretched from their comfort zone (not overworked) as part of their growth and development
• The work has been designed so that everyone owns their own accountability
• Clear delineation of duty exists and it’s rich, meaningful work at the right level they feel great about
• The team openly helps one another (I know.  Wow!!)
• Everyone communicates openly, candidly sharing short cuts, tips and support (the ‘we got your back mentality’ lives here)

 
 So, imagine how good a purposefully BUILT team would be? 

They do exist, some are in very good shape, but if you’re a leader whose team may not be there right now I have great news, YOU can make it so!!  Here are some of the building blocks of success you can use to build your team with purpose.
 
7 Building Blocks to Strong, High Performing, Productive 
​'Kicka$$' Teams

​1. Create a team credo – Why does this team exist in this company under this department? What do we believe in? What are our shared values?  Think about what would be missing if the team did not exist, this will help you and your team members understand why you’re so important.  Reviewing this together annually will keep everyone in tune with your stakeholders.

​2.  Define your deliverables this year – What must this particular team deliver this year?  By when?  Write down team goals using the SMART principle (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. Create these together, openly debate and discuss.

3.  Know your people – What skills exist in your team? Where did your people come from? What are their goals? What are their strengths and weaknesses?  What comes easy and what work makes them most uncomfortable, why? How do they see their work, the company, the department and the team?

4.  Design workflow and review structure – Does the work flow easily in and through your team, or is it convoluted, confusing multiple touch points with time wasting as a result? Does each role holder have a reason for being? This should be reviewed whenever work changes.

5.  Create clear role clarity – This is a biggie. If I asked each of your team what the other people did, can they answer?  Does everyone know what is expected of him or her? Do they know what is within their own control? Do they know when they would come to you or to someone else for decisions? Are they accountable for an output or are they a cog in the wheel? Does everyone understand what part they play to accomplish the overall team deliverables?
 
6.  Play to their strengths – Do they know themselves? Are your people set up to do their best work? Have you matched them to the right level of work? Does the team know about each other’s strengths and know how to leverage them?

7.  Provide opportunity to communicate – Do you have regular team meetings to review progress? Do you give time to openly debate and discuss and resolve issues as a team? Do you make time to connect with each person and check in to see what challenges they are experiencing?  Do you ask questions to understand? Do you allow them to make mistakes and coach for the learning? 

You’ll notice that embedded in each of these building blocks is the key leadership traits of today’s leaders. (Try our free leadership assessment to assess how you measure up).  Creating a positive employee experience is one of the main roles you have as a leader, true team building serves as a key to positive employee engagement .
 
There are any number of fun and interesting team activities you can do as a leader to purposefully build your team using these building blocks – and there is help if you want it!!
 
If you need help in crafting a solution to set you up for success, or to discuss how we can help you reach leadership and team effectiveness, please feel free to contact us. You can also learn more about the Dots story .

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