Team Building

Team building is a combination of training, coaching, and doing activities that build trust. Many people think of team building as a day-long, climbing-tall-stuff sort of day. It can be. I prefer a more
targeted approach.

A Team Needs to Have:

These items are the responsibility of whoever is supporting the team, and without them it is very difficult to build a positive, cohesive team.

Within Those Clearly Defined Limits, the Team Must:

• Develop a Behavior Code everyone agrees to that outlines how the team will interact in discussions and conflict.
• Create an identity.
• Learn and practice communication techniques that build trust.
• Increase positivity and appreciation which directly results in increased productivity, efficiency and morale.
• Face shared challenges in a positive way.

These things can be accomplished in a series of workshops or a retreat. I prefer to have a team over an extended period of time and actually tackle some of their tough issues. We practice using tools that ensure that all of the voices of the team (or system) are heard and respected and practice handling differences of opinion in a positive way. Every team member must feel listened to and respected before the team can build the trust it needs to 
perform optimally.