If you want to implement a few new ideas to build your team – YOU are at the right place!  These gems have been tested in my workshops and are easy to use.

In today’s economy, many companies are afraid of creativity.  Some leaders simply want to sustain the organization and don’t want to waste time or money by following an untested new idea.

Employees, too, are fearful of creativity. They know jobs are scarce and don’t want to risk losing theirs because of a backfired creative “brainstorm.”

What these companies and employees need to understand, however, is that organizations need be creative all the time. In fact, the companies and employees who are creative in a down economy will fare much better than those who are afraid to rock the boat.

You may say, “Joyce, I’ve heard all of these gems before.” I would then ask you, “Are you implementing all of these ideas?”  I find that at times we ALL need “gentle reminders” of the basics to move forward.

Remember…YOU get what YOU tolerate! 🙂

If you want to build your team, you must encourage creativity.

The following gems will help overcome any creativity fears.

Build Your Team Gem # 1:  Don’t be afraid of the word creativity

Being creative does not mean coming up with an idea that’s bigger than life or that will go down in the history books as the greatest innovation of all time.  Creativity does not have to be profound. In fact, it’s often the little things that have the greatest impact.

Build Your Team Gem # 2:  Creativity means looking for a second right answer 

Being creative simply means being open to new ideas. It’s about getting the “junk” out of your mind and making space for “what if” thinking: “What if we could”

• Shorten delivery times by 3 days?
• Expand into new markets?
• Cut production costs by 30%?

When you allow yourself to dream about the possibilities, creativity is the natural outcome.

 Build Your Team Gem # 3:  Creativity is about letting go

Status quo is the kiss of death for most organizations. When you’re creative, you have the confidence to let go of old ideas that may have worked in the past but that have no bearing now. You can see the current situation in a new light and can acknowledge that new times call for new ideas.

Build Your Team Gem # 4:  Creativity enables you to learn from mistakes 

Rather than let mistakes reaffirm your belief in doing things “the same old way,” see it as a learning opportunity. Look for new actions that you can take to improve future projects. Also, use your new knowledge to examine what the competition is doing and see how you can tweak it.

 Build Your Team Gem # 5:  Only you can give yourself permission to be creative

No one – not your organization, not your company’s culture, not your boss, and not your co-workers – can hinder your creativity.  Creativity comes from within. Once you give yourself permission to be creative, nothing can stop the ideas from coming.

Let’s Get Real 

This is the time for you to stop the mindset of “We already know this.” Instead ask the question, “Which one of these gems will be the best for our company to become more creative?”  When people are creative, innovation occurs. Teams who are innovative get noticed because of the results they’re able to achieve. If you want to build your team, bring creativity into the mix.  Let go, and allow everyone to open up to the possibilities that exist.  Discuss these 5 Gems with your team and select the ones that fit your specific needs to make some exciting changes.

I want to hear from you

Send me your questions or comments on how you have used creativity to build your team.  You’ll receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my loyal readers! 🙂

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.

Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts. Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

Read more articles and listen to podcasts at our Team Building Strategies Knowledge Base.

 

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

 

 

 

#favorite quote
#Adidas quote

What are your favorite quotes on the word impossible?  What words do you say to yourself when you think something is impossible?

When others tell me something won’t work I say, “Don’t tell me it’s impossible until after I’ve tried it.”  Negative people don’t like this kind of optimism.  It’s so much fun for me to see them shut down after they hear my positive expressions.

Remember, Don’t walk away from negative people-RUN!!

I recently went on a three-week trip to Australia and New Zealand.  Besides feeding kangaroos, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, learning about the indigenous Aboriginals and Maoris-we were all amazed at how 16 strangers melded into a tight oiled team on the first day of the trip.  I told the group that I was going to write about them in a future blog.  Even our tour guide told us that he never led a group that traveled so well together before he met us.

The rest of this article covers five team building lessons.  We didn’t sit down with each other to discuss rules of successful teams.  It happened naturally.  We all felt very fortunate.  Most of the group shared horror stories when they traveled with strangers on previous tours which included bullies, talkaholics, complainers and of course braggarts!

Team Building Lessons #1:  No Complaining 

We received wake up calls at 4:30 am to go on tours.  No one complained.  We joked about needing a gallon of coffee and kept on saying, “It is what it is.”  We all understood that one of the reasons why we selected Odyssey Unlimited was due to the numerous experiences they included for us.  We had to get up bright and early to enjoy meeting aborigines, arriving on time to see the sunrise at Uluru Rock, or beating the crowds on a scenic tour through the fjords in New Zealand.

Team Building Lessons #2:  The Importance of Laughing 

The laughter started immediately at the airport when some of us met each other for the first time.  I was stretching my legs after the 14+ hour flight.  Someone said, “Let’s call Joyce Stretch since she likes to be limber.”  Everyone started to laugh-including me and that’s how we got to know each other.  Sarcasm was not part of the group.  We all liked to laugh at ourselves which took down barriers immediately.

Team Building Lessons #3:  Show Interest in Others

I looked forward to our meals together because everyone was interested in finding out about each other.  We discussed our jobs, families, and hobbies.  It was fascinating for me to watch the magic happening.  No one talked over another person.  We actually cared about each other which was apparent on the first day.  We also shared our enthusiasm for all of our experiences-especially when we visited Mt Cook in the Southern Alps and our rooms faced the majestic mountains.

Team Building Lessons #4:  Support Each Other

We shared medical supplies and advice when team members got injured or sick.  One of the travelers received sad news about a relative at home.  We all helped her by listening and supplying our phones so she could speak with her family.  We didn’t have to think about this.  We were there for her.

Team Building Lessons #5:  Trust Your Leader 

We all appreciated Warren, our tour guide who knew how to control our vivacious and strong team.  There were times that we wanted to do something different from the planned tour.  He made a few changes and listened to us as much as he could since he had to answer to his boss.  Warren had a sense of humor that was contagious.  We started to answer each other’s questions as though we were Warren!  Now, that’s quite a role model.  🙂

Team Building Lessons Learned by Joyce

Even though the trip ended, the team spirit continues.  We are still in touch via email and some of us will be visiting each other as a result of strong friendships that were formed.  I continue driving Warren crazy with my constant questions about the culture.  He is going way beyond his job responsibilities and is reaching out to an expert on aboriginal art to find out the meaning of a couple of my purchases.

The group is sharing photos and family updates.

This team was so easy to form.  I asked myself why the group of 16 was different from others that I experienced.  The stars were lined up.  The personalities worked.  We were all there for one reason to share an incredible experience with each other.

We can all learn from working with naturally cohesive teams.  Ask yourself why that team worked as well as it did.  Of course we all experience groups of people who just can’t seem to work well together.  This is the time when we have to discuss what needs to be done to make the team work together. Ignoring a weak group won’t help.  We all need to pitch in to make positive change.

Discuss the following lessons covered in this article:

• Handling complaints so they don’t become the norm
• Laughing and the importance of a sense of humor and not sarcasm
• Showing authentic interest in each other by making time to get to know team members
• Supporting team members during both good and bad times
• Trusting leaders is a necessity-this is a 2-way street

I want to hear from you

Send me your questions or comments on what is and what is not working with your team.
You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my loyal readers! 🙂

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.

Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts. Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

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.

 

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

 

 

Hi Everyone
I have collected many favorite quotes and will be sharing them with you periodically.  I hope this one gives you an immediate smile or chuckle.  Please send me your favorite quotes.

You will receive one of my new workbooks if your quote is selected as part of a future Communication Skills at Work post.

You will have a choice of one of these titles:

• 19 Powerful Actions to Achieve Your Personal and Professional Goals
• 19 Surefire Ways to Bring More Joy and Harmony into Your Life
• 19 Secrets for Successfully Navigating Life’s Potholes, Ruts, and Obstacles

Please send me an email or use the contact form on the right.  Bring it on loyal readers! 🙂

#favoritequotes
#favoritequote
#HarryHerschfield
#humorcommunication

Remember –

You will receive one of my new workbooks if your quote is selected as part of a future Communication Skills at Work post.

You will have a choice of one of these titles:

• 19 Powerful Actions to Achieve Your Personal and Professional Goals
• 19 Surefire Ways to Bring More Joy and Harmony into Your Life
• 19 Secrets for Successfully Navigating Life’s Potholes, Ruts, and Obstacles

Please send me an email or use the contact form on the right.  Bring it on loyal readers! 🙂

Until next time,
Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach