No company exists in a vacuum. Even sole proprietorships rely on the advice, guidance, and services of others. However, when you have a business with a team of individuals, it is important to function, as the saying goes, on the same page. This is something Matthew Goodchild firmly believes in and why he is a wholehearted advocate of team activities that bring individuals together while having fun doing so.
“That is the key to team activities. You don’t what your people to think this is just another day on the job. It should be fun and lighthearted so that they learn to be more accepting and appreciative of others who maybe don’t share their worldview.” Matthew notes that there will be tension on the job but much of the time it isn’t because one of the ‘warring factions’ is unrelenting. “It’s usually a case of miscommunication. By taking time away for team activities, it becomes easier to see others as they are and not who they are trying to be at work. In the process of seeking advancement, we all tend to be someone we were never meant to be.”
He says that he could never begin to recommend all the exciting team games that could be played in the office, but it’s as easy as a Google search to find games you feel your team would have fun with. “That’s the whole point,” Matthew says. “Socialization is the key to building team rapport and while we can’t do that while developing a marketing strategy or cultivating a new client, we can allocate an hour a week for these team building sessions. I find that to be one of the best investments I can make in my company.”
Many bosses like to schedule days away from the office, paid days that is, to bring their teams to something called Escape Rooms. These are venues that have players working together to solve a mystery. Sometimes it’s a murder mystery and other times espionage or grand theft. These days are highly anticipated and could be earned as a reward for meeting certain goals. The object is obviously to solve the mystery before the competing team and in this way, they learn to work together while having fun. It’s not an individual who wins but rather a team that is the ultimate champion.
“This is what I want my teams to understand,” Matthew concluded. “That together we can move mountains but working alone against the current we could be buried under an avalanche. Let’s have fun building our team so that we are the winners each and every time.”