Situation: A CEO wants advice on how to strengthen her team. She is confident in her employees’ capabilities, but wants to see more teamwork and collaboration to add to the company’s culture. What have others done to encourage team building, and how has it worked out? How do you build a strong team?
Advice from the CEOs:
- There are many options for team building activities. Look at the Discovery Channel for some ideas: Monster Garage, American Chopper, and programs like these. They feature some highly effective methods of building team camaraderie.
- One CEO regularly conducts team building activities:
- Taking the crew to the new Star Wars or blockbuster movie opening.
- Go-Cart racing.
- This is done during working hours, and the employees appreciate both the effort of the company, and the fact that they are not asked to do this after hours.
- A caution – this type of activity may help morale, but it may not contribute to retention.
- While team building functions are an essential part of building and maintaining company culture they are only part of the task of building a strong team. The group considered conditions at previous companies that prompted employee departures:
- Lack of advancement or any clear path to advancement,
- Ambiguity in roles and expectations,
- Salary and advancement caps,
- Poor managers,
- Lack of consistent or clear feedback on performance.
- Looking at this list, the converse represent the things that a CEO should do to build a strong retention culture and strong teams:
- Clear expectations of employees in terms of performance,
- Clear and public tracks for advancement in job and salary increases,
- Frequent and consistent feedback on performance – both positive and as necessary corrective feedback – but always with considerate and constructive delivery,
- Well-trained managers.
- These factors parallel the findings of the Gallup Organization in their investigation of factors contributing to high levels of employee engagement and profitable growth.
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