4 Team-Building Tips to Kick Off The New Year Right

4 Tips on Team Building for Happy Teams

Attention, all leaders! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to unleash the untapped potential within your team, propelling them toward extraordinary achievements. But here's the secret: exceptional and harmonious teams aren't born overnight. They demand your unwavering dedication and months, even years, of nurturing to flourish. That's where our tried-and-tested tips on team building come in handy.

Whether your business is surpassing targets or experiencing setbacks, your team deserves dedicated time for bonding and growth. From dynamic meetings to constructive feedback, captivating storytelling, and genuine appreciation, we have curated four powerful team-building tips that will transform your corporate environment.

By implementing engaging corporate team-building activities that transcend ordinary office routines, your team will be on their way to achieving their greatest successes. And never underestimate the magic of genuine appreciation, as it acts as the secret ingredient that binds your team together.

Team Check-In With A Survey

Very few will get excited about a survey, but you can't deny how useful they are for collecting information about employee engagement. They're fast, efficient and often deliver better insights than one-on-one meetings, especially with introverted or shy employees.

The ultimate goal of a survey is to monitor your team's experience and make changes that increase overall happiness, productivity and retention. After all, there's nothing worse than co-workers who feel misunderstood, under-appreciated and ignored.

To get the most out of your survey, tailor each to your specific team and business needs. Here are some great tips to help you get started in a fun and meaningful way:

• Use fun, friendly and conversational language
• Choose a colourful survey design
• Include quirky and informal survey questions
• Keep it short and sweet where possible

Of course, if you want to be in touch with your employees all year round, your survey strategy should reflect this. Your team's feedback is the compass for change, so be bold about surveying your employees at a frequency that works for your business throughout the year.

Review Your Vision Statement

Now that you've received your team's feedback, it's time to make sense of where they stand and whether their statements align with the company's vision. Some questions that you might ask yourself include:

• Is your team's feedback aligned with your mission statement?
• Are you in line with, or moving farther away from your company values?
• Are there any recurring positive or negative statements?

If the answers seem to diverge from your core values, it's a perfect time to establish why, and determine how you can get your team back on track, or maybe your core values need to be refined to better match the reality of your team culture. Groups that remain grounded in the company vision and values experience less workplace dissatisfaction and remain focused on their yearly targets.

Hold A Killer Team Meeting

A killer team meeting is a great way to get your team ready to hit the ground running. Meetings often get a bad rap, which is why we suggest a kick-off gathering instead. It helps your team reconnect and familiarize themselves with your fresh direction. But how exactly should that meeting unfold? Here are a few tips for purposeful team-building in a kick-off meeting:

• Lead with gratitude and appreciation
• Reflect on the previous year
• Reiterate your company vision and values
• Review feedback and suggestions as a team
• Present your yearly goals

Notifying everyone of the meeting's objectives and talking points well beforehand will give your team ample time to reflect and arrive prepared to share even more meaningful contributions.

Re-Evaluate Your Corporate Rewards Program

We don't mind a bit of praise every now and then, and we certainly aren't the only ones! Companies with a strategic employee recognition program report 71%+ higher engagement levels when compared to companies without one. And when engagement levels rise, so do metrics like productivity, morale, teamwork and employee retention. That's why the new year is the perfect time to re-evaluate longstanding processes like your employee rewards program.

Surveying your team about this part of the business is a great starting point, but consulting experts (psst...like us) is also a wonderful shortcut. With over 15 years of experience fine-tuning employee gifting programs, and contributing to corporate team-building activities, we can help you navigate this delicate matter.

Showing appreciation doesn't have to be complicated! Consider implementing some of the following suggestions to help your team feel more appreciated:

• encourage greater peer-to-peer recognition
• reflect on how appreciation is delivered to your team
• recognize and appreciate your team often

Achieving success with your team involves more than just key performance indicators. It requires a holistic approach to teamwork that encompasses various aspects often overlooked or underestimated. But if you're determined to set a strong foundation for your powerhouse team, incorporating our invaluable tips on team building and engaging in transformative corporate team-building activities is the way to go. These strategies will take your team to new heights and pave the way for unparalleled accomplishments.

Embrace these tips and don't hesitate to reach out the Saul Good team to learn more about team-building tips, corporate gifting and employee appreciation.