If you don’t believe that strong, cohesive teams drive a successful business, stop reading. Seriously, this blog is not for you. For the rest of you, let’s dig in and talk about building teams and busting silos.
Building Teams
If you think team building is an annual holiday party or a company retreat, think again. While those activities may have their place in your strategy, team building is not a box you can check off your annual to-do list. It’s too important. Here, we show all the ways team building benefits your business.
Whether you’re building a small team within a department or a larger team across your organization, the same principles apply. When we talk about busting silos, we’re really talking about removing barriers.
You’ve heard the saying, “can’t see the forest for the trees.” If employees work in isolation, either individually or in a small group, they don’t see their role in the bigger picture. This leads to a lot of disses—like dissatisfaction, disconnection and discouragement—all the way to disengagement.
Your role as a leader is to foster connections, which while easier said than done, is also not as hard as it sounds.
Why Team Building?
Busting Silos
When you understand all that’s at stake, team building takes on a whole new significance … and requires an ongoing commitment. Here are just three of the many ways to remove barriers and encourage connections in your team.
- Cross-functional meetings. Individuals and groups working in silos often don’t know others are dealing with the same issues they are. Bringing them together can make everyone feel validated and lead to solutions that have a broader impact. But beyond that, you’ll forge a spirit of “we’re all-in-this-together” camaraderie.
- Informal presentations. We know a lot of people hate speaking in front of a group. However, informal opportunities for individuals or teams to showcase their expertise can be valuable. For example, lunch ‘n’ learns where people share the three things they love most about their jobs and the three challenges they face. Not only will their teammates gain a deeper appreciation for the value they bring to the table, but they may also be able to help troubleshoot or resolve pain points.
- Fun! Your accounting team and your manufacturing team may not have a lot in common in terms of their job functions, but in a social setting, they can connect over a wide range of interests, from hobbies to movies, travel, books and much more. Just keep in mind, not everyone enjoys the same activities, so try to provide diverse opportunities that will appeal to introverts, extroverts and everyone in between.
Bringing It Together
When it comes to team building, you can’t force or mandate it. But you can (and should) foster it. If you are struggling to make it happen, there can be underlying reasons, such as conflict or lack of trust.
We can help with services like our Leadership Training for team building and conflict management, or Strategic Collaboration for leaders and direct reports, peers or groups. We also offer customized workshops for leaders and teams. Reach out to talk about your challenges, and we’ll recommend the best way we can help you tackle them.