Most organizations are “in it to win it.” Winning is defined in different ways, depending on the organization. Obviously, winning could mean more points, or maybe a bigger market share. Or, winning could mean extending the organizational reach to help others more. Or, winning might be being perceived as the go-to subject matter experts.
Whether it is sports, business, or nonprofit, the teams that win share a common characteristic: chemistry. Team chemistry is the number one reason teams win. And frankly, winning is fun.
Team chemistry starts with the CEO, filters down through the executive team, migrating all the way down to the first level of the org chart. While CEO’s are generally adept at running their businesses, they may not know where to start when it comes to building team chemistry. There is no need to overthink this. Simply consider “shared experiences” for your team. Just as shared experiences in dating create romance, shared experiences with your team can bring retention. Need ideas on where to start? Consider these…
Think Pure Fun
- An “escape room”
- Canoeing or a fall hayride
- Family picnic or amusement park visit
- Quarterly team dinners with or without significant others
- Putt putt or driving range outings
- Bowling– or “duck pin” bowling
- Pottery painting
- Dinner train/mystery dinner
- Cooking class
- Board game night/euchre night
- Chili Cook Off
- Attend a sporting event or other special event together as a team (even better, take the afternoon off and head to a day game!)
Think Benefiting Others
- Volunteer together at a “done in a day” activity
- Initiate a food drive- challenge other organizations
- Collect back to school supplies for needy schools
- Tutor at a local school
Ideas for Time at the Office
- Strategic Planning sessions (ask for everyone’s input!)
- Consistent one-on-ones with supervisors and/or executive team members
- Team lunches
- Scheduled team break times (pull out a deck of cards — or make ice cream cones!)
- Team off-site (either overnight or over multiple days)
- “Learning by Sharing” at team meetings
- Fun off-site lunch–with table topics to get the conversation going!
- March Madness (whose bracket is busted first?)
- Bring your child to work day
- Corn hole/ping pong
- Celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries with cake! (After all, calories consumed at work do not count!)
- Share gratitude moments at every meeting
- Take walks together at lunch
The lists could go on and on. What has worked at your organization?
It really doesn’t matter what you do; rather, it is the time spent together, creating memories, that will stoke the “team chemistry” fire. Remember, the team that wins has chemistry. And, winning is fun!