Two Year-End Team-Building Strategies for Leaders

By Scott Weighart, Director of Learning and Development

Just before Thanksgiving, our CEO, Suzanne Bates, asked everyone on our team to submit a brief email listing a handful of things for which we are thankful, personally and professionally.  She compiled them into an email and sent them out to the group.

Everyone’s thoughts were expressed in a variety of ways, but it was a very powerful, positive exercise.  I liked it so much that I suggested that my family do the same out loud over the Thanksgiving dinner.  It’s a new tradition that I’m sure we’ll continue.

Why did this activity have such an impact? Whether at work or home, it’s easy to get immersed in day-to-day tasks.   We can all lose sight of the big picture of what really matters… and it can be human nature to focus on the part of the glass that remains empty—even when it’s a mostly full glass.

With that in mind, I’ve thought of two team-building activities that leaders could use with their teams as we approach the holidays.

In the spirit of Christmas and Hanukkah, ask your team to reflect on the gifts that they’ve received and the miracles they’ve witnessed this year.

This could be framed a few different ways, but I prefer an internal focus.  With gifts, ask your team to think about their colleagues.  Can they name a few teammates who have been giving of their time, support, advice, and expertise—perhaps in some quiet way that might otherwise have gone under the radar?  With miracles, it’s an opportunity for people to talk about someone on the team who pulled off something that was seemingly impossible. 

Maybe it was the sales representative who worked tirelessly to close a huge deal when no one thought it could happen.  Perhaps it was the financial analyst who somehow did the job of two or three people due to budget cuts, turnover, or illness—and did so skillfully and gracefully.

Odds are you’ll hear at least a few stories or perspectives that will surprise you as a leader.  Compile them—addressing any omissions as you see fit—and share them with your team.

With New Year’s Day looming, ask your team to weigh in with “resolutions” related to some value or behavior that you want to drive down or reinforce with your team.

In the case of our company, I would like everyone on our team to list three learning goals for 2012.  In what areas are people yearning to improve?  Where do we want and need to get better?  As our Director of Learning and Development, this information naturally would be valuable to me.  But it also would be interesting for our president and CEO to compare to what they see as our development needs… and it gives everyone an opportunity to reflect on where they are versus where they want to be in terms of knowledge.

However, this wouldn’t necessarily have to revolve around learning goals.  It also depends where you want your team to focus.  I could see asking people to reflect on any number of things that they could be done differently and better: collaboration, innovation, customer focus, and so on.

The holiday theme could eventually become overkill.  Could you imagine doing this for Groundhog Day?  I don’t think you’ll want to ask your team what signs will make them want to retreat into their cubicles for the next six weeks.  Still, team-building exercises like these are great ways for everyone—including you, the leader—to acknowledge what’s really important to your organization and what might otherwise go unnoticed.