How to use team-building exercises to raise the motivation level of your sales team.
Suggest team-building exercises to your sales reps and they’ll likely ask you two questions:
1) Is it worth the effort?
2) Do we have to bungee jump?
Legitimate questions, of course. Because people resist what’s
new or different or...scary.
“Many business owners treat the concept of team building with skepticism,”
says Ezine entrepreneurialism expert Nazir Daud, “despite the tangible
benefits it can bring. From the largest organization down to the smallest, these
exercises can play a significant part in bringing people closer together and
making units work cohesively”.
The basis of team building — whether you’re taking a ballet class,
going on a scavenger hunt, or playing a murder mystery game — involves
getting your people out of their normal environment and into a new situation.
By doing so, you allow them to practice business-related skills in a new context,
shine in ways you wouldn’t have anticipated, and share a fun bonding experience
they can remember and talk about for months to come.
And the bungee jumping is entirely optional. While physical activities have
gotten a lot of attention in the team-building world, they actually represent
a fairly small part of the spectrum. Even when the challenge is physical, the
companies that create these programs are quite aware they’re not dealing
with uberathletes. These activities usually don’t have demanding physical
requirements, but they do require full mental engagement… and that’s
precisely why they can be so powerful. Different activities are designed to
develop different skills, as the following examples illustrate.
DEALING WITH CHANGE
Ugh, the awkwardness that comes with learning something new. Who hasn’t
heard this groan when introducing change to the team: “We were competent
and confident in the old system — so why are they pulling that out from
under us and requiring us to go back to the drawing board?” Change requires
people to overcome both the fear of failure and the uncertainty of the change
itself. Businessballs.com, which offers free online business training, suggests
businesses that are installing a new system or methodology meet rep resistance
head-on with the following exercise.
First, choose a simple task, something most people could do automatically, such
as making a sandwich, cracking an egg into a bowl, typing on a keyboard, or
cutting shapes with scissors. Then ask reps to accomplish this task in a different
way, such as completing it blindfolded or with eyes shut, left-handed if they’re
normally right-handed, or in pairs. If a task is normally an individual activity,
such as cutting with scissors, doing it in tandem can highlight the pressures
of working as a team.
The most important part of this exercise is the follow-up, in which you discuss
how participants approached the change, how they handled their initial awkwardness
and incompetence, their feelings as they eventually began to master the new
system, and what they learned from the exercise.
COOPERATION VERSUS COMPETITION
Team Building USA, which provides indoor team-building games tailored specifically
to corporate needs, suggests the exercise Crossing the Line to build a discussion
around competition. All you need is a 25-foot length of rope, masking tape and
about 10 minutes.
Place the rope on the floor in the shape of a circle. Tape a line down the middle
of the circle to create two halves. Select two volunteers from the group. (try
to pick the two most competitive individuals.) Have them enter the circle and
face each other. Tell them that the goal is to use all their considerable powers
of influence, including but not limited to arguments, lecture, bribery and trickery,
to get the other person to cross completely over the line.
The rules are simple. The players may not touch each other physically. and audience
members may not contribute suggestions. (However, they can lay bets on who will
win.) The group leader acts as the referee. Have the volunteers shake hands,
and then shout, “Begin!” The more you set the atmosphere up like
a wrestling match, the better, and depending on the level of innate competitiveness
between the participants. it might take some time before they remember that
the original goal of the game is cooperation. You can throw in comments such
as, “John, good point Randy, are you convinced?” to reinforce that
the best way to get others to do what you want is to persuade them.
Of course, the power of this exercise doesn’t rest in the activity itself
but in the debrief afterward. Hopefully, in the course of the game someone will
have noticed that the fastest way to reach the goal is to give the other person
what he or she wants, not demand what you want Which leads to the discussion-starting
question. Who really won? Was it the person who crossed the line last, or was
it the person who crossed the line first in order to get the other person to
cross the line?
STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
If you want to take your team building to another level, Team Building USA also
facilitates a wilderness orienteering adventure, a business simulation activity
that takes place in a large, remote outdoor area. Participants are divided into
small teams and tasked with finding specific items using orienteering technology.
Each team is given a map of the wilderness area, a GPS or compass, and clues
that lead them to different waypoints. Teams intersect at different points along
the route and must exchange information and offer support if they are to be
successful.
This is the kind of program that needs professional facilitation and an investment
of considerable time and energy but the results can be powerful. The wilderness
orienteering adventure is loaded with business-related metaphors. Participants
will be encouraged to build trust, think strategically, play to each other’s
strengths, manage limited resources effectively, and sacrifice self interest
in order to see the entire team succeed. At the end of each stage, the facilitators
lead participants in a debrief in which insights are gained about the role each
individual plays in making or breaking a team and the dynamics of supporting
others so the entire company wins.
TEAMWORK
Want to teach your crew how to really stick together when the going gets rough?
World Class Teams, led by athlete, keynote speaker, and media darling Robyn
Benincasa offers the Mini EcoChallenge, which is basically an adventure race
between teams. Depending on the setting and fitness level of the participants,
the race can include kayaking, biking, rock climbing and hiking, but the main
criteria for winning is that the entire team must cross the finish line together.
PHILANTHROPY
Some of the most memorable team events involve coming together as a group to
help those less fortunate. You can always organize an event in support of a
local charity — golf tournaments and road races are popular- but if you
would prefer to have the details handled by the pros, this is a growing part
of the team-building industry. Teambuilding Unlimited offers a Trikes for Tots
workshop, in which reps, with the assistance of trained facilitators, learn
how to put together bicycles and tricycles for needy children.
CREATIVITY
Want to see Joe from purchasing in a tutu? Catalyst Ranch, a meeting and events
space located in the middle of downtown Chicago, offers a variety of art- based
creative activities. The purpose isn’t to embarrass people, it’s
to gently nudge them out of their comfort zones by placing them in an environment
that stimulates and invigorates the senses.
The ranch has several large rooms with such names as The Tango, The Cha Cha,
and The Jitterbug. As implied, you can rent them out and learn how to dance,
or you can also try chi quong, yoga, flower arranging, learn massage, or even
participate in a sewing activity. A crew of “ideators.” i.e., artists,
writers, dancers, and actors, are on hand to facilitate and supply all the technology
and expertise needed to run the program. Under their supervision groups have
experienced Jazz improv with a live quartet, practiced sales presentation techniques
with a troupe of professional actors, and taken culinary classes from top level
chefs. “Getting reps out of the office helps get them out of their ruts.”
says Peter Lloyd, new product innovator with Catalyst Ranch. ‘The creative
process thrives on diverse and exotic stimulation.”
SHEER SILLINESS
And never underestimate the team-building power of simply goofing once in a
while. One large insurance company in the Midwest - a normally staid and dignified
environment - does a complete turnaround once a year, on Halloween.
“Last year our CEO showed up like a bum wearing rags and carrying an empty
bottle of scotch,” one top-level salesperson reports. “Our CFO came
like a surfer dude. The costumes get pretty outrageous, and we have a rule that
you cant buy them, you have to make them. I also suspect they let people vent
their alter egos. The next day everything is back to normal, but I think this
one day of the year might be the most important one in terms of company morale.”
“Fun is fundamental.” agrees Doug Hall, author of Jump Start Your
Brain (Grand Central Publishing, 1996). “There’s no way around it.
Without fun, there is no enthusiasm. Without enthusiasm, there’s no energy.
Without energy, there are only shades of gray. It’s a law of creativity
physics.” — KIM WRIGHT WILEY
Online Resources
For more information on the team-building activities described in this article
or to get information on other programs, visit these sites:
www.teambuildingusa.com
www.teambuilding-unlimited.com
www.worldclassteams.com
www.businessballs.com
www.cataIystranchmeetings.com
Selling Power November/December 2008
