How are you going to do that? You need to know how your team members are managing individually and in turn, how that affects the role they play in your business.

Reconnect. This is not just about you and the individual, it is about reconnecting the members to each other.

Recharge. With summer coming to a close, new safety protocols in place, and in some cases new roles for members or a new vision for your company, a reboot of spirit will help ensure a smooth transition.

Rebuild. People have been, and in some cases are still, working remotely and relationships have suffered. We need to address these issues and facilitate interaction and communication among team members to move forward.  

It’s time for some internal ‘marketing’. How is your team doing? What does your team need to know going into the new season? Have you acknowledged their contributions over the last few months? How are you going to motivate them to stay engaged? There are so many new elements we have to deal with — from going to a store to taking a walk — that you’ll want to make sure your team are comfortable with the direction of your business and the role they play in it. Share your vision and your team will contribute to it in ways you can't imagine!

Yes, yes, I host art experiences for teams (and would love to conduct one for you) but I want you to consider bringing an event to your team no matter what it is. I've heard from many that while they were busy trying to pivot, survive and adapt to our pandemic situation, things like team-building went by the wayside. If your company typically only hosts events for skills building or information dissemination, I encourage you to consider an alternate event to motivate engagement. There are many that will bring skills and benefits to performance that you had not even thought might relate to their work, often you'll learn things about them that you may not be aware of. You can let your team know about changes and acknowledge their accomplishments and challenges in a fun and casual atmosphere that demonstrates your appreciation.

Collaboration and communication are critical to building strength in teams and I believe that events should also foster individuality and creativity. 

 

If you need confirmation that team-building events help build morale and keep your team connected, here are some of the outcomes for members from our events (we do a temp check with them by anonymous survey after so that they can share their experience with us). Pre-pandemic our events were in-person, now we host them virtually and yay! we can do in-person again. I’m happy to say both have been overall positive for the participants. (BTW 100% of the participants said they enjoyed the virtual events so if you’re hesitating about trying to do an event that way - don’t!) : 

“ Loved the concept and being able to build our own abstract art. Thank you Karen for giving us some tips and tricks on how to get started. Great team event session."

"Great event to be held virtually as it still brings the team together in a fun way. The pace and atmosphere was so calming and perfect for our hectic schedules. Amazing job Karen. "

"The activity made it possible to discover an unsuspected creativity in me. Karen is a fantastic presenter and has perfectly transformed an in-person activity to a virtual one."

 

"I was hesitant at first (I usually like step-by-step instructions!), but I found the event to be calming and a lot of fun! I may even consider taking painting up as a hobby.”

and from a few organizers:

“It was wonderful. Thank you!!! Yes, please send the survey if you like. The entire team sent me their paintings in an email with raving reviews. They loved it, thank you for all your support with this!! bb. siemens canada”

“...I wanted to engage my coworkers in an event that would get them excited about our new corporate social responsibility program and right from the beginning Karen knew how to take our vision of people, planet, and profit to life. Leading up to the event Karen was very enthusiastic and organized - there was little work for me to do. The painting itself was very informative; we learned about art and how to paint but also how to work with a team in a unique setting. The best part is that our masterpieces now hang on the wall to remind us of our fun afternoon painting and what we are ultimately striving for as a company.” katie a., fiix software

“...most well-attended ice-breaking event that this conference has ever held! ...could not believe the level of involvement of participants and general enjoyment.” Richard, Export Development Canada

I‘m going to check in with some team leaders over the next little while and share their insight with you on how to reconnect, recharge and rebuild teams.... stay tuned and feel free to share yours!