Simple Wisdom for Leaders and Organizations
FREE Team Building Activities
Best Team Ever - Team Building Activity
Purpose
Learn the value of becoming your best team ever. Create key descriptors and determine the impact to your organization.
Time Required
30 minutes
Exercise
Divide the team into breakout groups of 2 or 3 team members. Each breakout group picks a spokesperson.
Breakout groups take two minutes to come up with a series of keywords or short phrases that describe the best team they were ever on. GROUND RULES: It can’t be the team they’re on now (the team in the room). But it can be any team they were on at another employer, college, sports, military or social group etc. Qualifiers: Two or more people were on the team and a task was at hand. Breakout groups should consider:
1. What made this best team unique?
2. How did they first establish trust?
3. How did they work through conflict?
Note: It is ok for breakout groups to duplicate keywords or short phrases.
After two minutes of breakout discussion, spokespersons, one at a time, report their keywords or short phrases. Capture all keywords/phrases on a white board with duplicate counts.
Part 2 - Refinement
Refine this further. With these descriptors noted, if we became the best team ever:
1. What more could or team do or accomplish?
2. How would we be viewed internally?
3. How would we be viewed externally? (Often we bring work home with us.)
After another two minutes, spokespersons provide refinement answers. Again, capture on white board.
Part 3 - Final Refinement
Now take 1-minute to put a dollar amount on this. If the team in this room became the best team ever, how much would that be worth in the course of one year – thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, billions - what is the number or for public companies % rise in stock price?”
Debrief
Capture the numbers and average them out for a final best team ever economic value.
Value
Key descriptors, what more can we do, how viewed, and the dollar amount should be summarized into a half page memo. The memo should be reviewed and discussed at least monthly during team meetings.
Contact us to discuss facilitator led team building activities.
Client Testimonial
"NOW WE KNOW WHAT MAKES EACH OTHER TICK."
When I told my team, we were going to do some team building activities there was an audible groan. Many thought “touchy-feely”. Some had reservations about Myers-Briggs - they did not want to be, “Put in a box”. Teamwork Principals erased fears saying they don’t do touchy-feely and that people put us in a box every day. Myers-Briggs will make sure teammates put us in the right box. Turned out, my team loved the Myers-Briggs.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PLEASANTON, CA
Personal Histories - Team Building Activity
Purpose
Improve trust by giving team members an opportunity to demonstrate vulnerability in a low-risk manner and to help team members begin to understand one another in a fundamental way so they can avoid making assumptions about behaviors or intentions. This exercise is a great way to start building trust on a team.
Time Required
15 to 30 minutes (plan for 2-3 minutes per team member)
Exercise
Starting with the team lead, have each person take two minutes to answer the following questions:
1. Where did you grow up, how many siblings, and your birth order?
2. What did your parents do for a living (occupations)?
3. Describe a challenge, event, or activity from your childhood that helped shaped who you are today.
Debrief
After all, have spoken, ask team members to share what they learned about one another that they didn’t already know. This reinforces the exercise purpose and provides a natural way to close it out.
Value
Often, team members will reveal interesting personal information that was otherwise not known. Sometimes the information will provide reasoning for behaviors we have noted or dispel false assumptions we have made about team members.
Contact us to discuss facilitator led team building activities.
Team building personal history exercise
Best Boss Ever - Team Building Activity
Purpose
Allows a team to teach their boss the traits, values and qualities of the best boss ever.
Time Required
30 minutes
Exercise
Divide the team into breakout groups of 2 or 3 teammates. Each breakout group picks a spokesperson.
Breakout groups take two minutes to come up with a series of keywords or short phrases that describe the best boss they have ever worked for. GROUND RULES: It can’t be the boss they work for now (the boss in the room). But it can be any boss they worked for at their current company or another organization. Qualifiers: Breakout groups should consider:
1. What was the #1 stand out trait of their best boss?
2. What were their leadership qualities?
3. How did they connect with you?
Note: It is ok for break out groups to duplicate keywords or short phrases.
After two minutes of breakout discussion, spokespersons, one at a time, report their keywords or short phrases. Capture all keywords/phrases on a white board with duplicate counts.
Part 2 - Refinement
Refine this further. With these descriptors noted, if we became the best team ever:
1. What more could or team do or accomplish?
2. How would we be viewed internally?
3. How would we be viewed externally? (Often we bring work home with us.)
After another two minutes, spokespersons provide refinement answers. Again, capture on white board.
Part 3 - Final Refinement
Now take one minute to put a dollar amount on this. If your current boss became the best boss ever, how much would that be worth in the course of one year – thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, billions - what is the number or for public companies % rise in stock price?”
Debrief
Capture the numbers and average them out for a final best boss ever economic value.
Value
Key descriptors, what more can we do, how viewed and the dollar amount should be summarized into a half page memo. The memo should be reviewed and discussed at least monthly during team meetings.
Contact us to discuss facilitator led team building activities.
Team Effectiveness - Team Building Activity
Purpose
To give team members focused and actionable feedback about how their individual behaviors can improve the performance of the team and a forum for submitting a personal ask of the team.
Time Required
1 – 2 hours depending on team size and facilitator
Exercise
1. Each team member answers the following questions about every member of the team:
- What is that person’s single most important behavioral CONTRIBUTION that contributes to the strength of the team? (that persons strength i.e.: encourages passionate debate)
- What is that person’s single most important behavioral IMPROVEMENT that could add to the strength of the team? (weakness or problem behavior i.e.: missed deadlines)
Each team member should write down their answers. This way they are concise, remembered, and will not change based on what others have to say.
2. Beginning with comments about the leader of the team, have all team members read their positive responses, one by one, until everyone has finished.
3. Ask the leader to respond to what people have said. Example, Any surprises? Any questions for clarification?
4. Staying on the team leader, have all team members read their IMPROVEMENT responses, one by one, until everyone has finished.
5. Continue with items 2 through 4 for every member of the team.
6. When all team members have received input from their peers, have them each:
- Summarize aloud for the team the one or two key takeaways they will work on individually.
- Give each an opportunity to make an ASK of the team. Example, "If you see me doing my negative behavior please tell me."
- Team members e-mail their CONTRIBUTION, IMPROVEMENT and ASK to their team lead.
Debrief
Quarterly, have each team member report on the progress they’ve made regarding each of their areas for improvement. Call out and recognize other team members who helped with “ASKS”.
Value
Few things have as much value as correcting behaviors that hurt the team. The most effective way to do this is with public commitments in which people are held accountable.
Contact us to discuss facilitator led team building activities.
Team: Contributions, improvements, & asks
Worst Business Mistake Ever - Team Building Activity
Purpose
Improve trust by giving team members an opportunity to demonstrate vulnerability in a low-risk manner and to help team members begin to understand one another in a fundamental way so they can avoid making assumptions about behaviors or intentions. This exercise is another great way to start building trust on a team.
Time Required
15 to 30 minutes (plan for 2-3 minutes per team member)
Exercise
Starting with the team lead, have each person take 2-minutes to answer the following questions:
1. What was the biggest business mistake you ever made?
a. Quickly explain the context and layout the scenario…
2. What did you learn from your mistake?
Debrief
After all, have spoken, ask team members to share what they learned about one another that they didn’t already know. This reinforces the exercise purpose and provides a natural way to close it out.
Value
Often, team members will reveal interesting personal information that was otherwise not known. Sometimes the information can provide reasoning for behaviors we have noted and/or dispel false assumptions we have made about team members.
Contact us to discuss facilitator led team building activities.