Now that we’ve covered all the theoretical aspects of building and maintaining a cohesive and effective team, let’s switch things up and have some fun!
I’m sure we’ve all had that one boss who tried to implement team building excercises that were more awkward, or even unusual, than fun (think Michael Scott from The Office).
But give the guy a break, it’s difficult coming up with activities that aren’t cliche and are also stimulating. However, we’ll save you some trouble of brainstorming engaging and fun team building activities and give you our top three favorites!
These games have gotten some hype over the past couple years! The concept is simple… you are trapped in a room filled with riddles and puzzles and the only objective is to have your team escape! You can make your own version at the office, or go to an Escape center. If you’re reading this and you are from our hometown Tulsa then make sure to check out The Escape Tulsa. This awesome place has 4 different-themed rooms, with varying difficulties, for you and your team to try out. Think you and coworkers can get out of the hardest room (9% escape rate)? Why not add some friendly competition for some extra fun!
Ok wait you might be thinking… “I thought we were talking about fun stuff??” Well who says Community Service isn’t fun? There are a ton of engaging volunteer activities for teams who are willing to contribute their community. Our favorites involve building homes for the unfortunate and helping in animal shelters (yes you get to play with dogs). On top of that you get to feel amazing knowing you helped out, while reflecting your company’s values.
Ok not talking about an actual triathalon here! What I mean by this is choose three fun activities , (such as rolling chair obstacle course, jigsaw puzzle, pin-the-tail on the boss… etc) , split your department into various teams (it may help to split up by people who work closely together – or also if you notice that some people are too close and others tend to be left out – make the groups random) , and then create a reasonable point system so that the teams can have some friendly competition!
If your budget permits, it’s always fun to have nights out – say reserve tables at a restaurant or going to a sports event – so people can be their out-of-work selves and perhaps build stronger relationships with their coworkers.
Hope you’ve enjoyed our blog series on developing leaders! Let us know if they were helpful, and don’t be shy to provide suggestions!
