There is nothing like a well motivated and capable team for getting the results that many of us long for as business people.
You may have heard that synergy within any team leads to a tipping point whereby the team become more productive together than independently or that team spirit is “when the total output of the team exceeds the sum of the output of the individual team members”
The trouble is, although it is difficult to find the right people for any team, it is even more difficult to get those individual personalities, age and experience levels and egos to gel together to make a fully functioning team.
Out of the Comfort Zone
One approach with proven positive results is to take those individuals out of their nice cosy setup, to change the dynamic and to see how the roles of each team member will change in different circumstances. Who will lead and who will be content to be a follower? Who will whine and who will win? Who will prove to be the dark horse? Who is able to park their egos and consider others? What respect will be gained (or lost) from this experience?
Learning from the Military
I had not thought that my time as soldier would count for much in later life. Indeed I have played down my role as a coach, mentor and leader for over 20 years in the Army and took having a good team around me as given.
Recently however, while forming my own company team, I have come to appreciate just how important it is to have an effective and mutually supportive team spirit and I know I can help.
Let’s face it, most people’s perception of a soldier is not as the brightest and best of what our education system turns out and yet despite that, we hear of tremendous acts of courage, sacrifice and dedication to others that our Armed Forces practice every day with rarely a thought of reward other than to earn the respect of their mates while affirming their own place in the unit.
So it is perhaps no surprise that team building activities are pursued by the military with vigour in the form of sport, adventurous pursuits, challenges and projects. Activities that place the individuals in a testing environment either on the sports pitch, military manoeuvres, adventurous challenges in the wilderness or on a project to build a school or a well in Africa or Afghanistan bring out the best in an individual and as a team player.
Closer to Home
But actually it does not have to be so grand as a trip to Kilimanjaro or the Great Wall of China, this sort of team building can be as simple as getting people up from their desks for a walk in the park together to chat about… anything; to get to know each other a bit.
Imagine how things would change if it is discovered that big scary John is frightened of insects or timid Mary is an endurance athlete? Or that the office junior is a whizz kid at Social Media?
A little bit of group exercise in the Boot-Camp style or Circuit Training works wonders
How about a walking, running or cycling club that sets off straight from work on weekday evening?
Or how cool would it be to start the day with some stretching or yoga exercises in the office? – beats hanging around the coffee machine for half an hour after work is supposed to start.
A step in the right direction is our Energise Company Fitness Programme
A Bigger Challenge
Of course, if you want more, there is more and you can see some of the activities we have done over the past few years or will be doing this year, on our website
