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16 Mar 2015

16 Leadership Team Building Activities

With these 16 leadership team building activities leaders can build and leverage relationships for action.

These 16 leadership team building activities allow leaders to build and leverage relationships for action.

The key to any team is relationships. The key to building them is leadership. Leaders can do this when they apply these 16 leadership team building activities.

In war when all else falls apart, relationships hold the unit together. It is the commitment to each other. Even those averse to cheating will do so to help the team or others. Relationships have this power.

Role of Leadership in Team Building

Leadership is the sun around which all these relationships revolve. Leaders are the face of the task at hand. That task helps to build team.

Talented leaders can build relationships without much thought and planning. All leaders can build them faster and better with them though. This begins with using these 16 leadership team building activities.

16 Leadership Team Building Activities

Time Frame Activity
Daily
  • Whenever engaging in conversation (phone or in person), use employee’s name at least twice.
  • Make sure the name is one the employee likes.
  • In emails – no matter how short – use employee’s name in some form of salutation.
  • Don’t use people’s acronym unless that is how they like to be addressed.
  • Avoid using acronyms to reference self.
  • Don’t talk to a team member only when needing something.
Weekly
  • Send all employees at least one email or text message a week asking how they’re doing.
  • Call all team members at least once a week (even if it is just a message) asking how they’re doing and if there is anything you can do to help.
Monthly
  • One meeting or conference call should occur to bring employees up to date on team activities.
  • Meet each employee in person or in a video call at least once to see how things are going.
Quarterly
  • Shake each employee’s hand.
  • Thank each employee for the job she or he is doing.
  • Hold one-on-one meetings with employees to review and share how they are doing.
Other
  • Call employees after significant personal events such as marriage, birth of a child, vacation or major personal achievement.
  • Know the name of the employee’s spouse.
  • When meeting spouse, compliment him or her on some aspect of employee’s efforts.

Build and Leverage Relationships to Build Team

These activities build relationships that leaders can leverage to build team. In bad hands, these easily become micromanagement. People do not see it as such in good hands. They do not tire of positive reinforcement.

When was the last time anyone called too many compliments micromanagement?

5 Responses

  1. Patty Mishkar

    Great advice Mike. A previous boss never addressed his direct reports by name and in some cases didn’t even know their names. As a result, trust and respect was missing from the employee/manager relationship and he did not understand why.

    1. Mike Lehr

      Thank you for leaving your experience, Patty. Some have a hard time believing such things happen in the workplace. I had a psychologist tell me that it is not unusual for spouses to not even address each other by name.

  2. Pingback : 16 Leadership Team Building Activities | Professional Services Journal

  3. Ena Lakisoe

    I totally agree Mike with your advice on building relationships as the key to building effective teams. Acknowledgement, support, understanding, trust and a sense of belonging produce effective cohesive teams. Also by modelling these simple principles, can influence and shift even the most stubborn of teams. Mindshift to team ethos and commitment. All this by showing you care and see them as individuals. Bravo Mike!

    1. Mike Lehr

      Thank you, Ena, you bring up a very good point about the modeling. I have run into many who just don’t believe this works. It takes a while for this to work and for them to see it. You’re right though. Even the most stubborn teams can change.

      I appreciate you stopping by to visit and leave your insights and experience. ~Mike

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