Boost Team Morale  

 

 This is the first in a series of quarterly news briefs. It contains short, useful tips for increasing the effectiveness of your team--both in the short and long term. It also contains quick and easy activities that you can facilitate yourself.  We're all in business together, and we're here to help you.

 

1. Communicate. Nothing is worse than silence from management. Be honest about how business is faring and what the possibilities are for the future.
2. Ask for input. It gives people a sense of controlling their own destiny. Nothing is more deflating than simply "waiting for the ax to fall." Plus, employees have great ideas and certainly have a vested interest in the company's success if they value their jobs. Do not let these ideas go unrecognized. Discuss and implement if possible. Get everyone to be proactive.
3. Be empathetic. We are all in this together. If lay-offs are in the picture, it is a normal course of business that is necessary in tough times-and it is ok to be "sorry." Write letters of recommendation for those who will be seeking new jobs.
4. Encourage those who remain. They have lost some friends/co-workers and may feel uncertain about their role in the company as well. Additionally, these employees will likely have to pick up more responsibilities and add to their work load. Have meetings that acknowledge how valuable they are, and how important their contribution is to the company. These can be short, group meetings and/or one-on-ones, depending upon the situation.
5. Combat isolation with regular team meetings- at least once a quarter if not once a month. This allows people to share their ideas and their feelings. Make sure meeting outcomes are solution-focused and not "gripe sessions." Have a strong facilitator lead these discussions.
6. Re-focus and lift spirits. Don't allow "wallowing." Utilize team exercises to re-focus on team skills like group problem solving and communication. These will also lift spirits and build camaraderie. You can find these exercises online, in the library or from one of Corporate Games' manuals. 

Why use the age-old exercise of having each person stand up and introduce themselves at the beginning of a meeting? Yes, it is easy, but no one is really listening. They're just worried about what they are going to say-- not what someone else is saying.  There are easy ways to be more creative and make the content something that will engage everyone and encourage "active listening."  Here are two examples:

 

1. Before people introduce themselves, ask them to add to their introduction-- what kind of car best represents their personality and why.

2. Ask each person to tell the group, aside from the normal "name, rank and serial number," what they like best about their job and what they like the least.

 

These introductions will have people sitting up and taking notice, plus they reveal more about the personality of each attendee.  

 

Corporate Games tailors every program and event to meet your specific objectives. We provide the widest variety of team training and team building activities, and a professional service ethic that is second to none. We also custom design activities that work with your meeting content. And whether you have a $500 or $50,000 budget, we work to insure that you are receivng the best value for your money. We even have "Do-it-yourself" manuals for $75-- which come with phone support.