Team Building Ideas
Get Their Commitment

Team building ideas to improve employee commitment introduction:

Without taking the time to ensure an employee has overcome any initial fears or doubts, the leader may accept a hesitant "Yes" from the employee, when they are actually feeling fearful on incompetent of the task.

Leaders must realize that sometimes people cannot quickly commit to something without first going through a process of getting their natural fears addressed. An employee’s hesitance should never be mistaken as "I don’t care." Rather, the employee simply needs time to process the request.

Commitment of your employee may mean one thing to you and hold a totally different meaning to your employees.

While you may believe commitment is demonstrated by how focused and hard working as employee is. That same employee might assume you measure their commitment solely based on how many extra hours they clock in or how many extra widgets they produce.

Take the time to clarify in the minds of your team members how you measure commitment. This discussion will go a long ways toward limiting their fears and gaining their buy-in.

Mirror, Mirror.
Purpose of this activity: To help teams clarify what they want to become known for, what they aspire to create and hold up as their team slogan or battle-cry. To improve team commitment by clarifying for each team member what standards they must uphold in order to remain a valued member of the team.

Explanation: Take the letters of your team name. For example, if your team name is the Northside team, then your team needs to take the first letter of the name (in this case the first letter is N) and agree on a word that begins with the letter N that properly describes the team you are committed to create and maintain.

Continue along the same task with the second, third and fourth letter of the team name until all of the letters are used. To complete our example, here are some team building ideas and words that your team might choose as they work to define the NORTHSIDE team:

• N = Never Give Up!
• O = Optimistic
• R = Resolute
• T = Tenacious
• H = High Spirited
• S = Steadfast
• I = Insistent
• D = Dogged or Determined
• E = Efficient

Now ask yourself, if you heard the above words connected to your team name, how would that make you feel? Makes you feel terrific, right? That’s the whole idea.

Commitment – Self-Assessment
Purpose of this activity: To raise the awareness of your team members regarding their personal commitment to the team. This self-assessment will ask important questions that will make employees re-think what they can and should be doing more of, less of, better or different.

Explanation: Introduce this exercise to your team by letting them know that you are going to provide them with a quick sel-assessment that you want them to complete.

Ensure your team that their answers will remain confidential and that you will not be asking them to turn in their answers.

However, do let your team know that you will be asking them to identify areas for group discussion that they feel the team can benefit from if they were to modify activities and behaviors. The goal is to identify areas that the team can do more of, less of, better or different.

Provide the survey with the following team building ideas to each team member: (Team members must rate themselves on each question on a scale of 1-5; 1 = Never, 5 = Always)

• Fully participates in team meetings?
• Demonstrates a positive attitude?
• If I have an issue I deal with it directly with that person rather than complaining to a third party?
• I listen openly to new ideas?
• I sincerely celebrate others success?
• I follow through on anything I agree to do?
• I represent my team positively to non-team members?
• I willfully share the load?
• If facts are not clear, I check for clarity rather an make assumptions?
• I look for opportunities to make others stars?
• I meet deadlines?
• I take the initiative to do whatever needs to be done?

After each team member has completed their self-assessment, ask your team to now put the name of another team member by each question on the self-assessment that they feel best fits the perfect example. (By doing this, you will be able to reward and recognize your best team members while at the same time establishing your expectations with your entire team.)

As the leader, you now have a wonderful opportunity to lead the discussion and brainstorm with your team. Try to have your team members talking the majority of the time versus you lecturing your team. Ask team members to share what stood out to them while taking the self-assessment. Ask what they learned. Ask what anyone identified that they now feel they need to do more of, less of, better or different.

Ask team members to recognize other team members to exemplify what all team members should aspire to for each of the questions. As the leader, take time to thank and reward the employees who are identified as top performers.

As a group, identify your top three or five objectives that you want to accomplish as a result of this exercise.

Keep in mind that your team benefits simply by having a positive discussion of these important team building ideas.

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» Communication
Effective, honest and open communication is encouraged via team building activities.

» Creativity
Get your employee to respond to problems with creative solution, thinking outside the box for maximum results.

» Customer Service
Serve your employees well and they will in turn take care of your customers. Use team building to satisfy your workers.

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