Leaders constantly ask me the following question: What are team building strategies to improve morale?
Have you ever had a great idea for your company and got everyone excited about doing it, but then no one took action and the great idea died? Such is a common occurrence in organizations across the country. In fact, in most companies generating great ideas isn’t the problem – it’s turning those ideas into action that stalls a company’s growth.
In order to help your team take action on new ideas, use the following team building strategies to get from idea to final delivery.
Team Building Strategies #1: Generate at least 50 ideas for your current dilemma
How do you know if an idea is truly great unless you challenge it with new ideas? That’s why you need to generate a lot of ideas to get the idea process started.
Have people write one idea per “sticky note.” During this phase, temporarily ignore rules and budgets. Anything goes. Don’t self-edit and don’t think anything is “stupid.”
Encourage wild ideas from everyone; be playful. And since this is a group effort, feel free to expand on other people’s ideas. Remember, it’s not a competition.
Team Building Strategies #2: Move the most exciting ideas forward
Take all your sticky notes and group similar ideas together. Decide on a category heading for each group. Then, rather than decide on a single idea to pursue, begin by deciding on an idea-group what is most attractive given the current situation. Use past experience and the current need to help with the decision process.
Team Building Strategies #3: Remove hurdles and identify holes
Analyze the selected group and come up with reasons why the ideas may not work using the following questions to refine the idea to implementation:
- What are the consequences if we do these ideas as presented?
- What could potential challenges arise in the workplace?
- How will these ideas work within the available resources of time, money, and people?
If you don’t like your answers, refine the ideas – don’t kill them.
Team Building Strategies #4: Create a specific step-by-step action plan
Create a plan to ensure that the idea can be implemented successfully. Consider such things as:
- Training and resources: Does the timeline and task schedule require training or resources not currently at hand? If so, how do you get them?
- Budget: Do you have the financial resources to see the idea through to completion? If not, what creative things can you do to offset costs (trade out products or services, use contract labor, etc.)?
- Timelines: What is the chronological order for doing each step?
- Celebration points: At what point will you celebrate milestones, and what celebration activities will be most appropriate?
Let’s Get Real
When people have a thought-out plan for carrying out an idea, they are better equipped and better able to turn that idea into reality. So use these team building strategies for every dilemma, whether large or small. You’ll get the most creative solution for your current challenge, as well as the ability to turn that idea into action. This will reduce conflict in the workplace to move your team to the next level.
I want to hear from you
Send me an email with your most pressing issue that you are experiencing with your team. Please share your team building strategies in the comment section.
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Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach
Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”
PS Learn how I can leverage my 30+ years of communication and leadership consulting and coaching experience to help your organization address team building strategies here.
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