Leadership Flagship
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.~ John Quincy Adams
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By: Suzanne Lucas OCTOBER 09, 2017
“Hi! I’m Heidi, your Team Building Trainer! We’re here to do some corporate team building activities! So, everyone pick a partner — someone you don’t know!”
Are you rolling your eyeballs, sighing, and not-so-secretly wishing your kid’s school calls to tell you you have to come pick up your child? Because let’s face it, many team building activities seem to be led by people who don’t actually have any work to do and don’t really understand how to do work with others. Sick kids are preferable to this kind of team building.
But strong teams are a good thing, so here are five corporate team building activities that actually work (and are even fun, for most people).
1. Scavenger Hunts
These aren’t just for children’s birthday parties. A good scavenger hunt takes your team around the city in search of clues. There are commercially available scavenger hunts or your HR team can make one up, but it can be a lot of work.
A scavenger hunt works because it requires people to work together. If one person can solve all the clues without input from co-workers, then it’s not a good scavenger hunt. As teams work together to solve problems, people get to know each other and learn things about each other they might not have known before. This can help build your team because it builds empathy.
2. PowerPoint Karaoke
To prepare for this event, search for random PowerPoint presentations on the internet. The further afield from your actual business the better. For example, if you’re in real estate, good presentations on waste management or the pharmaceutical sector are what you’re looking for. For the activity, pick a random presentation, and everyone looks like a fool when trying to interpret data and graphs that they know nothing about. This brings about laughter, and laughter can be the best medicine for team building. Sheeren Richter, the self-described Laughter Coach, says that laughter can make you feel good and build good relationships. Just be aware that this may not be a good activity for an introverted team who may view it as embarrassing. Know your team before you plan the activity!
3. Physical Activity
This can be anything from learning to row a dragon boat to climbing a rock wall. The important thing is that people need to work together. Telling everyone to go jogging isn’t generally a team building activity. Keep in mind that you need to choose an activity that fits the skill set of your team. Most people aren’t going to be ready to scale the Alps, but can do a game of volleyball.
Sports are teamwork in a different environment — you have to work together in order to beat the other team. Business is inherently competitive, so it can channel competitiveness in a different outlet. A word of caution here is that employees with disabilities may not be able to participate in physical activity team building games. If that’s the case, pick something else.
4. Office Trivia
This is not for new hires, but it can be for new teams — as long as everyone has worked in the organization for a while. Computer software firm Wrike suggests pulling together a group of questions about your office and organization — how many computer monitors there are, when was the organization founded, what’s the name of the CEO’s pet? Put people into teams and watch them compete — game show style.
You’re asking questions about the organization, but not about anybody’s individual work. It can bring forth the all important laughter and demonstrate powers of observation. Be careful not to use questions to criticize any employee (who was late the most often last year?) though, or you could divide your team instead of building it.
5. Construction Team Building
Give your group some material and ask them to build something. This can be a box of Lego bricks with the challenge to build the highest structure possible, or a bag of drinking straws with the instruction to build a bridge that can hold the office stapler. Divide people into groups, set the timer and go!
Most likely, your business has a lot of knowledge workers. Working with your hands stimulates additional parts of your brain. This is good for expanding your mind as well as giving people the chance to show off their rarely-used Lego talents.
No matter what team building exercise you choose, make sure it makes sense for your group. If it doesn’t, your employees won’t be happy to participate, and then it’s a waste of time.
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Editor’s Note:
Great article! And spot-on! I’ve known several “manipulators” in my life. Fortunately, I can spot them miles away and don’t buy into their little games. But it really hurts when I see my loved ones not only being manipulated, but are recruited into Enablers, allowing this behaviour to manifest in many, many areas of their lives. I know love can be blind, but c’,mon! Wake up and Smell the Coffee! It becomes the antithesis to a true give & take relationship…you give, they take!
ReBlogged
By Eric Perry, PhD-c
“You learn a lot about people when they don’t get what they want.” ~Anonymous
Like the waves that forcefully crash on the shore and later gracefully retreat, there is an ebb and flow to life. The seasons change and the flowers bloom, only to later wilt. We all give and take in our daily lives. Our interactions with one another are overall based on a healthy exchange of emotions, ideas and positive social interactions. There are some individuals, that like crashing waves have a disruptive influence in our lives. They seem only interested in profiting from the relationship and will give little or nothing in exchange. They use psychological manipulation to disguise their true intent.
Psychological manipulation is a type of social influence that uses deception, underhanded tactics and abuse in order to achieve the interests of the manipulator. The manipulator may use these tactics for personal gain, to advance a covert agenda, gain a position of power and superiority in the relationship or simply because they are bored.
Manipulation may be a factor in a number of mental disorders. It appears to be part of the psychopaths M.O. (modus operandi), in order to gain what they (Anti-social Disorder, Narcissistic Personality disorder, Histrionic Disorder) want. While not all people who manipulate are suffering from a mental disorder, it is important to know how to identify manipulation and how to deal with it. Manipulative individuals are able to detect your weaknesses and use them against you. You may encounter them at work, social settings or within your own family.
When you assert your boundaries, it is important to pay attention to how people react to your defense of a set boundary. If they react with a negative emotion such as anger, hostility, intimidation, silent treatment or playing the victim, you have found the border where their respect for you ends.
Here are some signs of manipulation:
1. Lying – Overtly or by omission, they will play with the truth to facilitate their goal. See my blog post How to Spot Deception for a more detailed look at deception.
2. Denial – They will deny doing anything wrong, even when caught red handed.
3. Anger/Defensive – When confronted, they will react with excessive anger or defensiveness. They will use anger to scare you into submission. They may even use controlled anger to shock their victim and get them to focus on the anger instead of the harm.
4. Rationalization – When confronted with their manipulative behavior they will explain it away and put a positive spin to it.
5. Minimization – They will explain their behavior in a way to minimize it. For example, after insulting you they may claim it was only a joke.
6. Diversion – When confronted or they feel you may be on to their manipulative ways they will divert your attention to another topic or may switch gears and physically do some act to get your attention.
7. Intimidation – The manipulator may resort to direct or implied threats in order to get a person to act or not act.
8. Guilt trip – To get a person to act, the manipulator will make statements to the victim such as “You don’t care,” “You are selfish,” “You have it easier” and other similar statements. What they say will depend on their perceived weakness of the target. They will use guilt to make the victim feel bad, doubt their boundaries and act according to the manipulators plan.
9. Shame – The manipulator may use shame and ‘put downs’ to create fear and self doubt. They may use sarcasm and mocking behavior to create a sense of inadequacy in their victim. This perceived inadequacy will cause the victim to doubt themselves and not dare to question the manipulator.
10. Playing the victim – The manipulator may play the role of victim in order to gain sympathy and pity. They will make up stories of hardship and pain and will use this tactic to manipulate good hearted individuals who wish to help.
11. Vilify the victim – The manipulator will falsely accuse the victim of a perpetrated act that they themselves are accused of. For example, they will claim that they are the ones being abused in order to put the victim on the defense. They will also project the blame to the victim. They will try to convince you and others that you are crazy or you are the abusive one.
12. Seduction – A manipulator will use flattery, charm and praise to get the victim to drop their guard and to gain the trust of the victim. This approach will be used repeatedly throughout a person’s relationship with the manipulator. It is often seen after the victim has pointed out past manipulative behavior. It is a way to lull a victim into complacency and acceptance of the behavior.
13. Feigning innocence – When confronted with their manipulative behavior, they will act surprised and appear not to know what the victim is talking about. They will make it appear as if it is a misunderstanding and that it is the victim who is seeing things in a negative way. This is another way of making the victim feel inadequate and confused.
14. Peer pressure – The manipulator may try to convince the victim that they should act a certain way because others are ‘ok’ with and engaging with the behavior. Remember, you are in control of your life and you always have the right to say “NO” to anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. Psychological manipulation is a form of mental bullying. Manipulators feed on their perceived weaknesses of others and will not stop unless confronted. The intention of this post is to help you identify these behavior so you can put a stop to it or to avoid entirely. If you found this post to be helpful or insightful please remember to like, comment and share.
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Firing or disciplining an employee for performance or disciplinary issues is challenging on a good day. What do you do when that employee requests medical leave? Suppose your employee has already been arriving late and leaving early, and you have noticed a marked drop in his/her performance? Do you have to grant the request for leave? Can you still discipline or even fire him/her? (more…)
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Editorial Note: Dogs are AMAZING! They have so much to teach us…all we have to do is listen.
6 Ways My Dog Helps Me Live Better With Chronic Illness
Credit: Sophia KramerFor 10 years now I have shared my life with a border collie named Izzy. She was welcomed into our home at a time when my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) seemed under control. While Izzy is technically a family dog, she is really my dog. I am the one she follows around the house, or “talks” to at night when she wants out or is scared by a storm. It’s my side of the bed she sleeps on during the day. I believe Izzy came into our lives for many reasons, but most importantly, she came for me. She came to teach me how to live better with my chronic illness.
Soon after Izzy joined our family, my RA took a nosedive. For the next several years, I struggled in ways I never imagined possible. More than once I was asked, “Why in the world would you choose a border collie when you are also dealing with RA?” For starters, I believe we are drawn to that which we need, and I need the lessons Izzy teaches me.1. Motivation. You’ve heard the saying “move it or lose it,” right? During a dark time in my RA history — when just getting out of bed was a struggle — I took this saying to heart. I knew that gentle movement would help, and walking provided that for me. Many days I couldn’t hold the leash (I secured it around my waist) or walk very fast, but I knew if Izzy didn’t follow her daily walk routine, I would pay for it later at night when my RA is at its worst and she would pace the floor from lack of exercise. Because of Izzy’s high energy needs, she has always been my best motivator to “move it.”
2. Rest without guilt. While it is good to move when we can, sometimes adopting the resting habits of dogs can be beneficial. Dogs have a special way of playing hard and then napping without guilt. Izzy reminds me that if I need to go to bed early, nap during the day, or be a couch potato for a bit, I should do just that.
3. Know your limits. Izzy knows her own body well and, more importantly, she listens to it. When she had a torn ligament, she rested for days before she told me she was ready to walk. Once out, she knew when she had gone far enough. She stopped, looked at me, and turned back toward home. How smart is that! Time after time, I go overboard physically after an RA flare rather than easing back into my routine like my dog.
4. Acceptance. As a high-energy dog, Izzy spent years barking and lunging at dogs, pedestrians, and bicyclists on our walks. Then one day, it seemed to hit her that she had been through this scenario a million times. As a small, unleashed dog chased her down the street, I saw a different Izzy. She kept her eyes straight and walked as if she had things under control. If that dog needed to bark, then let it. It wouldn’t disrupt her walk. This moment was magical for me. After dealing with RA for years, I knew it was time to accept where my health stood with RA and start focusing on living. My life is more than RA. I needed to stop letting it interfere with all the other great things happening in my life.
5. Sense of community. Dogs have a special way of bringing people together. While many people in our neighborhood still don’t know my name, I have developed friendships with them. In the last 10 years, I have shared the heartache of losing a pet, learned about my neighbors’ families, discussed lawns and plants, laughed over silly dog stories, and even shared my story of RA with a few people as I limped along our path — all because of my dog.
6. Laughter really is the best medicine. There isn’t a day that goes by that Izzy doesn’t make me laugh out loud. I think it is because she doesn’t expect anything from me that I can let my guard down and let out a loud chuckle. With RA as part of my daily life, a good laugh can take my mind away from the pain, even if for a short time.
Dogs definitely require work. Serious consideration should always be given before purchasing or adopting a dog, but once you have added one to your family, watch your dog. They have a lot of lessons to share.
Leadership Flagship 