Avoid Team Building Strategies That Don’t Work

CNBC has 11 great tips to help you make sure that your team building activities don’t have the unintended consequence of pulling your team of employees apart.

First of all, karaoke is out, and Mount Kilimanjaro is in. On the top of their list…?

#1 Prepare employees in advance.

Springing the idea of team building on employees at the last minute = resistance. “People think it’s hokey,” said David Goldstein, founder of TeamBonding in Boston, Mass. Instead, he suggested the team builders work with employees to overcome objections well before the exercises get under way, reassuring them that the event will be well delivered and thought out and won’t fall into the trap of traditional measures.

But….why?

It may seem like a good idea to surprise your team with a team building exercise, but this is generally a no-no. Team building activities are fun. The best strategies should boost communication, foster collaboration and have everyone hugging by the end, right?

Generally, people fear what they don’t know. A key requirement to launching and then successfully completing almost anything new as a group is obtaining internal buy-in for a program and a commitment to participate, contribute and complete it’s initiatives. Most employees that are disengaged do not feel respected and do not respect the decisions made by leaders.

The right team building strategies will lead to happier, engaged and productive employees, but laying a strong foundation must be part for every plan. It is critical to reduce eye-rolling and help ensure a powerful ROI for your event.

Check out CNBC’s full list of tips. Missing anything?

What team building strategies have worked for you? What has failed?