Advanced Team Building

"Now, you have to trust your co-worker!"

Just a short bit here, mostly because I like the screen capture from The Crimson Ghost.

I’ve been involved in any number of team building activities and I’ve come to the conclusion that most of them are created out of desperation, usually from pretty far on high. The truly good ones sneak up on you. It isn’t until months later that you realize, “Oh! That was a neat exercise" while you are actually working with your coworkers. They're certainly not the ones that are going to make you say to yourself, let alone out loud, “I really feel the synergy, let’s group hug!”

The two worst team building exercises I've had the pleasure to be part of compete for my very own WTF award. First, the managers of a Big Box Computer Store being collectively written up for not selling enough service plans. Secondly, at another job, being guilted into eating together in the company cafeteria so that our department could have the appearance of having a “cool table.” No kidding, a “cool table.”

Sheesh!

The best team building I found was when you didn’t need any. The best staff I ever saw was for a company my dad worked and was ultimately the Executive VP for. They specialized in mining, refining and recycling materials no one else wanted to deal with and were quite successful at it. They were in several states and two other countries as well. Although I’m sure they happened, I don’t remember a labor dispute or similar issue in the time we were associated with the company. More time and energy was spent interacting with various federal and state agencies. The point here is that the company was managed well enough and the decision makers respected enough that there existed a level of trust that no team building exercise could replace.

Trust. Earned, not mandated.