For many of us, when someone mentions teambuilding we think about a group of people engaging in seemingly perilous physical activities. In the process the group is supposed to realize a powerful shared experience. Typically though, less than two weeks later everyone is exhibiting the same behavior that necessitated the teambuilding event in the first place. This kind of result gives teambuilding a bad name.
Real teambuilding however, is a process whereby a group of people share a powerful experience AND couple it with meaningful follow up. The breakthroughs that team members experience during a teambuilding event, as well as the tools and skills that they were taught need to be reinforced and cultivated over time. Many organizations spend mucho dinero on high falutin’ events, and they skimp on the really important part - reinforcement and follow up.
Recently, while conducting a teambuilding session, the team leader asked me an excellent question. “How does Bill Belichick (coach of several world champion New England Patriot teams) do it? How does he continuously produce top performing teams while being faced with injuries (i.e., missing staff), contract disputes (i.e., employee turnover) and distractions (i.e., life)?” By the end of day and the ensuing process the leader answered their own question:
Belichick does it by:
- Proactively communicating with his team in a clear and candid way
- Including every team member in the game plan
- Focus --> Agility --> Execution
- Celebrating success, while teaching humility
Keep in mind, there are many different ways to coach a team. Good luck to everyone out there with your team. And keep in mind, next time you pursue a teambuilding experience, look for results that stick.