Team Building Events Help Put the “i” Back in Team

Rhonda Grizzard asked:

Show me a person who says there is no “I” in team and I’ll show you a person who has never been a part of a productive, close-knit, supportive team: odds are it’s the same person.

“THERE IS NO I IN TEAM”…

For years (don’t ask how many) people having been throwing this phrase around in an effort to build team morale and create a sense of oneness.  Now that’s kind of funny. Creating a sense of oneness without putting any of “you” into the team. How does that Work? Well it doesn’t. And I think employers are finally starting to figure that out. A team is essentially like a puzzle. All of the pieces come together and create this whole image. But the image wouldn’t be complete without each of the individual pieces. This is the way that a team should operate. Each individual needs to feel as though they have an important piece of the puzzle and without them the image will never be complete. This is where team building events come into play. Sure you can throw a bunch of people on a project and call them a team. In fact, one dictionary defines a team as “a number of persons associated together in work or activity”. A team is much more than that.

Teambuilding events help to create camaraderie amongst team members: Bringing these team members together to learn more about each other and the business that they are a part of. Team building is necessary for increased retention, necessary to create a peaceful and harmonious working environment and necessary for the delivery of a great end product. A teambuilding event can be as short as a few hours or as long as an entire weekend. The length depends on the overall goals of the team and what they hope to accomplish in a set time period. Many people leave these events with a new outlook on themselves and the organizations they represent. People often learn more about their co-workers in a few hours or days than in ten years working with them. The difference is apparent right away. People have more knowledge of each other and more knowledge of the company. They have spent time discussing non-work things and have more to offer each other and the group. Relationships have been formed and a bond has been built. These are the teams that last. These are the teams that work well together and these are the teams everyone wishes they were a part of.

OK, let’s face it, there is no “I” in team literally but when you’re speaking in terms of what each individual brings to the team then there had better be a place for an “I” in team. Members of any team want to feel and know that all of their blood, sweat, and tears (sometimes literally) are significant and not unfounded.

The “I” in team represents:

What I do is important to the success of this team.

The quality of the work that I produce will effect my team’s reputation.

Decisions that I make affect my entire team.

What I do for this team matters.

I have a voice on this team and people hear me.

 

Rhonda Grizzard

Owner & Event Planner, Grizzard Events

http://www.grizzardevents.com

Contact:Rhonda@grizzardevents.com

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