The success of your business necessarily depends on the productivity of your team. Enhancing efficiencies, streamlining processes and nurturing a sense of collaboration and drive all contribute to high performing outputs. This blog post will explore five ways that you can help your team to be more productive.
- Volunteer for a non-profit organization – Bringing your team together to do good for others and give back to the community can go a long way in making them feel connected to one another. Volunteer activities push people to work towards a common goal, even if it does not benefit them directly. Whether it is working on a housing project, preparing meals in a community kitchen or playing sports with kids who have special needs – these types of activities provide perspective and can inspire your employees to work harder and more effectively.
- Participate in a sporting event or competition – Sports and physical activities are known to be great team-building opportunities. In fact, most people associate the very notion of a team with traditional sports like baseball, basketball or soccer. Sign up for a tournament, or set a team goal to run a 10k, and then spend the day competing together to come out on top.
- Stretch your minds – Problem-solving activities will force members of your team to work together towards a common goal. Escape room facilities place teams in a barricaded room, filled with puzzles that need to be solved in order to escape. Scavenger hunts often include clues that need to be deciphered in order to get to the end. And murder mystery events typically demand a considerable element of problem-solving skill. Seek out one of these activities to challenge your team to think outside the box and work against the clock to complete the task at hand. Those same skills will translate to your workplace once the day is over.
- Get creative – The arts draw on different skills and points of view than those that are typically leveraged in an office environment. Painting, dancing, sculpting – creating – these are activities that put many people outside of their comfort zone. But working collaboratively on an art project will move your team to contribute in different ways that can positively impact their work dynamic.
- Everyone loves to eat – Food is a great equalizer. Everybody loves to eat, and discussions are often more meaningful when they happen over a meal. Organize a potluck, or order in a phenomenal meal for your team, at the office. Make it something extra special – not the typical sandwiches and wraps platter they are accustomed to having during a meeting. Block at least an hour and a half of the day so that folks can really enjoy the food and the company.
Making an investment in your team is fundamental to the productivity you are trying to nurture. It does not happen organically, without some thought and attention. Once or twice a year, at least, try to set aside time to do one of these activities with your team. You will almost certainly realize a productivity boost, not to mention a greater sense of engagement.
For more information on how to grow high-performing teams, contact Miller Bernstein today.
