Love is in the air. That is our love for our work, and our love of you, our readers.
We hope you and your employees love your work as much as we do. Having a sense of purpose and a reason to get out of bed each day is so important. This year for valentine’s day show your team members how much you care by committing to finding out what their purpose and passion is for getting out of bed and coming to work.
Patrick Lencioni wrote, “When it comes to helping people find fulfillment in their work, there is nothing more important than teamwork. It gives people a sense of connection and belonging.” Here are some fun questions that you can use at your next team building event to bring your team closer together and help them feel more fulfillment. For the love of the team, try these out!
- What’s your why? One of my favorite simple exercises to do with teams is to have them pair up and discuss: “How did you get into this field originally? What keeps you here?” I find it amazing how these simple questions can give so much insight into a person’s commitment to working in this field. In a sense, Simon Sinek’s, “Find your Why” brought me here.
- Personal histories. Personal Histories is a trust exercise found in “Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team.” Go around the room and have everyone explain three things:
- Where they grew up
- How many kids were in their family
- What was the most difficult or important challenge in their childhood (as in being a kid, not some deep personal story of something that happened in their childhood).
- Making appreciation personal. According to “The 5 languages of Appreciation in the Workplace,” Appreciation = Engagement and “understanding what makes you and your coworkers feel encouraged can significantly improve your relationships in the workplace, increases your sense of engagement, and creates a more positive work environment.” Simply put: Work is a place you love! So how can you make appreciation personal? Reflect on the following as a team:
- When you feel discouraged at work, what actions by others encourage you?
- When you want to communicate appreciation to others, how do you typically do so?
- How well do you believe you and your coworkers know how to express appreciation to one another?
- Encourage the Heart. The Leadership Practice Inventory by James Kouses and Barry Posner focuses on 5 leadership behaviors, one of them being, “Encourage the Heart” meaning recognizing the contributions of others and celebrating together to build a sense of community. Here are a few simple questions you can ask people to encourage their heart and create a community of looooooove.
- How do you define a “job well done”?
- What does praise look like to you?
- How does showing confidence in other’s abilities advance your organizational goals?
- Why do you think it’s important to reward people for their contributions?
- What type of creative rewards have you provided to your team members lately?
We hope you had a nice Valentine’s day.
This article was written by Drive Consultant, Allison Duda.
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