As we head into the winter season many of us are starting to think about how to wrap up this year well and show appreciation for our teams. Whether this is a Christmas dinner, casual outing, or team week, many companies will be adding team events to the calendar over the fall and winter months. Here we discuss six ideas for your next team event.
Team events are a great way to celebrate your team and let them know you care about them as individuals, not only the work getting done. I don’t know about you but I have been to events that are tremendously fun and others that have been awkward and less than inspiring.
I get it, often we as leaders are busy and these events can seem to come around quicker than expected. It may feel like just another task to check off the list. However, successful team leaders understand that this is a key opportunity to create comradery and enthusiasm. Think of it as your chance to rally the team for the next year.
Here 6 ideas for your next team event:
1. Clarify your objectives.
What do you hope to accomplish? As a leader, spend a few minutes determining your goals and desired outcome. Is it to recognize employees for their hard work? Help people get to know their colleagues better? Boost morale? Build cohesion and vision for the team? Just have fun? Don’t overthink this but do make a quick list of three top objectives. There are no wrong answers but understanding your key objectives will help you plan an event to achieve them.
2. Include something fun.
When you are planning a team event, fun should be one of the main things on the agenda. Whether a casual lunch or a planned hour of skill training, team events should feel like a break, not another day at work. Playfulness and breaking up the schedule leads to creativity and builds team spirit. When your staff is enjoying themselves, they are filled with energy which allows them to be more productive when they return to work.
Start with the question, “How will my team enjoy being together?” This varies greatly from team to team. Here is a list of fun ideas to consider as you get started. Hopefully one or two of them will jumpstart your planning.
- Match your company culture. Is your company artistic, techie, foodie, outdoorsy, traditional, adventurous? Keep a lookout for a venue, event, or gifts that build on your existing brand as a company.
- Consider your local area. Visit a new show or attraction. Visit an escape room. Reserve a corn maze. Attend a concert. Go on a food crawl. Many times, we don’t take the time to visit the attractions closest to us.
- Choose a common hobby. Do your employees share any common hobbies? Shoot clay pigeons. Play laser tag or a game of golf. Visit an inspiring shop or museum. Paint pottery.
- As the leader, agree to laugh at yourself. Why is it so much fun to see a leader look silly? Your team will love it if you end up being the joke of a silly game or wearing funny socks. Lead the way, lighten up, and have some fun.
- Create friendly competition. Have a cubicle decorating contest. Everyone bakes and brings their best cookies. Split employees into teams and have a scavenger hunt.
- Give out prizes. Door prizes, cash prizes, gift cards, raffles. These are always a winner. Instead of just going for the highest dollar, consider something that shows thoughtfulness or fun.
- Include a surprise or something unexpected. Can you schedule a food truck or coffee van to show up? Maybe everyone gets to go home early with flowers for their wife? Spring a surprise on your team, just make sure it’s one your team will enjoy.
3. Celebrate!
If you know me, you know that I’m a big fan of celebrations. So often teams rush from one thing to the next, not taking time to recognize what has been accomplished together. This can quickly lead to team exhaustion and burnout. However, I have often seen the enthusiasm that can build from a team reflecting on how they have won in the past year. As a leader, you may have the big picture wins, but you need to make sure your whole team hears them and celebrates!
- Reflect on your wins as a team. Go for more than the bottom dollar or that you survived the year. Make the list big picture and yet with specific examples. Be ready to explain why you think the team won in that area. Your attitude and the way you communicate is huge for this one!
- Ask your team. Break out a sticky note. Make a column for wins and one for losses. Ask your team to help you fill out the columns. As the leader, be prepared to share first!
- Consider getting out of the office. Break it up and reflect somewhere other than your meeting room. Make the atmosphere celebratory and relaxing.
4. Learn something new.
Investing in learning shows that you are willing to put time and money into making employees successful. Demonstrate your commitment to them by considering an activity, workshop, or class that is useful for the work they do. This may be learning about new technology, product, or design trend in your industry. Or it could be helping your team improve in a key life skill like communication, people skills, customer service, or leadership. When you empower your team to go further in a skill area, everyone wins.
5. Build team vision and strategy.
Your team all together and having fun is an excellent chance to zoom out and bring your team together around the big picture goals, vision, and principles of the company. As leaders, we need to continue to connect the why of what we are doing with how we are getting there. This looks very different depending on the stage and needs of your team. Questions you as a leader can ask yourself:
- Does the team own where you are headed next year?
- Can your team articulate the why of what they are doing?
- How do the employees help the team win? Do they know the part they play?
- Are the employees proud to be a part of your team? Why? Or Why not?
- Does your team own the vision and mission of the company?
- Do you have core values? Are they known? Do they matter? How are you living them out?
- What would your employees like to see improved next year? How can we do better?
- What are the challenges we face? How can we proactively address them?
I once heard that if a leader says something and the employees laugh because they already know, then the leader knows he has been communicating. This requires the leader to communicate relentlessly. As George Bernard Shaw said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
As you answer the questions above, it may become more clear where more communication should happen on your team. Reach out and I would love to discuss how to choose and facilitate activities that unleash the potential of your team.
6. Eat food, of course.
Doesn’t this one go without saying? But really, almost all team events should include eating. This isn’t the time to go cheapskate but to instead plan carefully and intentionally. Make sure you order plenty, take dietary restrictions into account, choose a venue, and enjoy!
Ready to get started on your next team event?
Most leaders shouldn’t pull off an entire event by themselves but they do need to initiate the plan. Determine a few objectives and then ask your team for help. This will likely mean asking someone else on the team to take the lead on logistics. Finally, bring in professionals. Don’t try to do this on your own but instead learn and grow alongside your team.
At Team Verve, we can come on-site to your event to facilitate as your team reflects, brainstorms, and learns together. We start by working with the leader to identify the needs of the team and create objectives for events. Then we plan and facilitate activities that will energize the team for the new year. Whether you are looking for an all-inclusive option with venue and food or a 60-90 min workshop, start the conversation and we will discuss options for your team
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