If you’re getting ready to launch a new startup, one of the things you’ll have to consider is how to mobilize your employees. While you may not hire a large staff, those that you do hire will have to bond with one another to form an effective team that’s driven to help your startup succeed. You can work towards this goal by getting your employees involved in some team building exercises before your startup launches. The following exercises and activities can help you turn your diverse group of employees into a strongly bonded team.
Give Back to the Community
Whether you choose to organize a food drive or build houses for Habitat for Humanity, getting your team involved in charity will provide opportunities for them to bond. As they work on charitable projects together, your employees will start learning how to work together. Through this process, they will be able to identify each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This will help them utilize everyone’s talents in the most efficient way to reach whatever goal they may have for the project. By the time your team starts working in your new startup, they will already be familiar with one another’s abilities, quirks, and personalities. They will also come away from the project with the good feeling of knowing they have done something worthwhile for their community.
Participate in a Sporting Event
You don’t have to get your team involved in formal sports, but you should look for opportunities for them to work together and have fun. One example might be to take your team kayaking since this type of activity forces them to work together to navigate the kayak or canoe. Another option is to form a softball or basketball team with your employees. You can compete with other businesses in your community in organized games. In addition to encouraging teamwork among your employees, the games will give you and your staff an opportunity to network with others in your local business community.
Schedule a Weekend Camping Trip
Getting your team together for a weekend out among the wilderness can help you quicken the bonding experience between them. You can organize a variety of activities throughout the day that are designed to build trust, while helping each individual utilize their strongest talents for the good of the team. One of the most effective team bonding activities to use as you go camping in the Poconos is a campfire circle. Instead of telling ghost stories as your team gathers around a bonfire, have them share stories about their best or worst working experiences. Sharing stories related to their careers can help your team get to know one another in a casual setting.
Do the Egg Drop Challenge
This is a common activity in elementary school and summer camp programs because it teaches children how to communicate and work well together. In recent years, employers have started using this activity to help their teams bond. The goal is to create a structure that will protect an egg from falling from a high place and smashing onto the ground. You separate your employees into several teams. Each team is given a few supplies, and that’s all they can use to protect their egg.
Create an Escape Room
This idea is straight out of horror films but without the element of danger. The idea is to lock your employees in a room and compel them to escape within a predetermined time frame. You can set up puzzles to solve or leave clues to help them locate the key to the door. While your workers won’t be in any danger, escape room games are challenging, with only 20% of participants escaping within the allotted time.
Additionally, you may be surprised to learn that you can host a virtual escape room event for your remote workers. Due to the pandemic, many individuals work online, so companies have turned to interactive activities to engage employees.
Whether you create your own game or play online, your employees will have a blast as they collaborate and bond.
Conclusion
You can use these team building exercises to create a more positive company culture. This will encourage good relationships between your employees, which will affect how they interact with your customers. When employees enjoy working together, customers will find their interactions with your business to be enjoyable.
