Situation: A CEO is looking at his company following the pandemic slowdown. Employees have returned but much of the energy that was there before the pandemic has dissipated. Employees seem to be looking for guidance and inspiration. How do you restore a strong team?
Advice from the CEOs:
- There are many options for team building activities. There have been some excellent TV shows like Monster Garage and American Chopper that address these. Though these series are no longer aired, episodes can be downloaded. These feature some very effective methods of building team camaraderie and energy.
- One company regularly conducts team building activities:
- Taking the crew to the new movie openings of epic movies that are best seen on the big screen.
- 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.
- 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 that they had previously experienced that harmed morale and even prompted some employees to leave:
- Lack of advancement or any clear path to advancement,
- Ambiguity in roles and expectations,
- Salary and advancement caps,
- Poor managers, and
- Lack of consistent or clear feedback on performance.
- Looking at this list, the converse represent the things that are needed 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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