Team Building Resources

Team Building in the Snow?

Melissa — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:25:30 +0000

Snow in April, snow in May, snow in June…yes Calgarians, you know it can happen any month of the year here. Conundrum Adventures is pleased to announce that we now offer a fully indoor event at the Glenbow Museum. Teams not only get to solve conundrums in a perfect climate, but also get to explore this wonderful venue and its’ enlightening exhibits in a unique and entertaining way. Experience Western Canada’s largest Museum through the unique lens of a Conundrum Adventure!

Of course we still offer our fabulous downtown outdoor adventures and for those who like a mix, we do have customized routes to include puzzles located indoors along the +15 and outdoors. Check us out for your next team building event in Calgary!

http://www.conundrumadventures.com/Calgary-Indoor-Team-Building.php

Intrinsic Motivation: Key to a Happy Employee

Melissa — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:15:59 +0000

I recently read a post about how positive intrinsic motivation is the key to a successful and happy worker. This debunks the idea that your employee will be happier if you pay them a bonus for work well done. It suggests that the happiest workers are ones that are motivated intrinsically by factors such as:

Challenge – Being able to challenge yourself and accomplish new tasks.
Control – Having choice over what you do.
Cooperation – Being able to work with and help others.
Recognition – Getting meaningful, positive recognition for your work.
Happiness at work – People who like their job and their workplace are much more likely to find intrinsic motivation.
Trust – When you trust the people you work with, intrinsic motivation is much easier.

One way you can attempt to acheive these motivators is by providing a safe, enjoyable environment where your staff are continually developing their skills and are motivated by their work. Give them the freedom to be creative and the venue for them to share ideas with their co-workers.

Providing team building opportunites outside of the workplace for staff to get together and build relationships is also important to creating a sense of belonging. This in turn can help build trust as people who have had the opportunity for social interaction outside the office, often see their co-workers through different eyes. Create a great team and keep them motivated!

Team Building in the New Year

Melissa — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:01:26 +0000

Have you made some New Year resolutions? Perhaps a personal fitness goal or revisions to your budget? Maybe to spend more time with friends or to read a book that’s been waiting on your nightstand? Don’t forget to extend your New Year resolutions beyond your personal goals and reflect on your work goals as well. Outside of yearly performance reviews, this is as good of a time as any to really take a good look at your accomplishments over the past calendar year and what you would like to see happen over the next 12 months.

If you are a part of a team, this is a great time to look at team building activities for your organization and get the year started with a meaningful team building event. After the excitement of the holidays, it’s motivating to come back to work with a fun activity to look forward to over the next couple of months. It will set a positive tone for your team and hopefully improve team performance. On the flipside, it can help you to achieve some of your work related resolutions for 2012 too!

Recognition: Key Motivator for Team Building

Melissa — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:07:40 +0000

The other day I received a hand written thank you note for an event I had completed. It was such a nice change from the more convenient and current way of thanking people through an email. It made me reflect on the importance of recognizing individuals for their efforts and how this impacts team building. Motivation is one of the core fundamentals to team building. If people feel valued on a team, they are more likely to engage and provide meaningful contributions to the group. Whether you are recognizing a volunteer, a colleague or a friend, it is important to make that person feel valued for their contributions.

Here are 4 different perspectives on how best to “recognize” an individual based on 4 different personality preferences:

In front of the group – for the individuals who are the highly competitive, do things quickly and want to move on to the next.
- a quick team huddle with an acknowledgement of the good work and impact the individual has had will fit the bill
Publicly in writing – for the individual who likes structure and order.
- a congratulatory email or a write up in the office newsletter, acknowledging the achievement will work best
One on one- for the individuals who are always asking “why” they like to work independently, looking at the big picture and solving the problems.
- a face to face acknowledgement with a hand shake will satisfy their need to be recognized
Hand written thank you note – for the individual who is always focused on pulling the team together and creating harmony
- pick up a thank you card and hand write a small message of praise and thanks, the personal connection will go a long way to motivating this individual

Seeing each team member clearly and then adjusting the recognition that best fits their personality type will make your recognition efforts go a lot further in motivating them to continue to perform to the best of their abilities. The thank you note I received is posted on my bulletin board as a daily reminder of the importance of recognition.

Recognizing Diversity on your Team

Melissa — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:06:30 +0000

We talk about diversity all of the time. From our diverse Canadian culture to diverse culinary options to diversity in the work place. When reflecting on the value of a team, be sure to consider the diversity of its members. Each team player will bring to the group a wide range of past experiences that are invaluable to success. The challenge is to ensure that each team member has the opportunity to share their diversity and feels engaged to so.

When considering team building events, look for activities that provide opportunities for your staff to share their diversity and encourage open communication about their past experiences. You may learn something new and fabulous about a teammate!

What should Vancouver Companies look for in a teambuilding offering?

Lynn — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:40:38 +0000

What Vancouver companies should look for in a team building offering is quite similar to what we should look for in effective team members:

Demonstrates reliability – Conundrum has been in business for over 10 years and delivered thousands of events to companies of all shapes and sizes.
Communicates constructively – Conundrum team debrief following any of our adventures will help participants see clear connections between their performance on the adventure and their everyday team environment.
Listens actively – Conundrum will discuss your key objectives for the day an incorporate them either into the adventure itself as a customization element or during the team debrief discussion before and after the adventure.
Functions as an active participant – Conundrum staff are available through-out the adventure to provide all the elements needed to make it a great team event for all involved.
Shares openly and willingly – following the adventure we will provide participants with an opportunity to provide feedback on the adventure, we will consolidate the results on your behalf to ensure you get the most out of the event and understand what your team like about the adventure and potential opportunities for future events.
Cooperates and pitches in to help – all aspects of the adventure are managed by conundrum starting with teaser emails to help communicate to participants what’s involved and what to expect, you just need to show up and participate.
Exhibits flexibility – we can customize your start and end location and timing of the adventure.
Shows commitment to the team – Conundrum staff are available to assist with any event preparation requirements to ensure a fully successful event.
Works as a problem-solver- work in partnership with you to deal with any barriers to a fully successful event for example – ensure we include all participants, for example if you have participants that have limited mobility we can include them in the adventure in unique ways that does not require them to walk around during the adventure.
Treats others in a respectful and supportive manner – enough said…

http://www.conundrumadventures.com/Vancouver-Team-Building.php

What should Calgary Businesses look for in a Team Building offering?

Lynn — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:12:16 +0000

What Calgary companies should look for in a team building offering is quite similar to what we should look for in effective team members:

Demonstrates reliability – Conundrum has been in business for over 10 years and delivered thousands of events to companies of all shapes and sizes.
Communicates constructively – Conundrum team debrief following any of our adventures will help participants see clear connections between their performance on the adventure and their everyday team environment.
Listens actively – Conundrum will discuss your key objectives for the day an incorporate them either into the adventure itself as a customization element or during the team debrief discussion before and after the adventure.
Functions as an active participant – Conundrum staff are available through-out the adventure to provide all the elements needed to make it a great team event for all involved.
Shares openly and willingly – following the adventure we will provide participants with an opportunity to provide feedback on the adventure, we will consolidate the results on your behalf to ensure you get the most out of the event and understand what your team like about the adventure and potential opportunities for future events.
Cooperates and pitches in to help – all aspects of the adventure are managed by conundrum starting with teaser emails to help communicate to participants what’s involved and what to expect, you just need to show up and participate.
Exhibits flexibility – we can customize your start and end location and timing of the adventure.
Shows commitment to the team – Conundrum staff are available to assist with any event preparation requirements to ensure a fully successful event.
Works as a problem-solver- work in partnership with you to deal with any barriers to a fully successful event for example – ensure we include all participants, for example if you have participants that have limited mobility we can include them in the adventure in unique ways that does not require them to walk around during the adventure.
Treats others in a respectful and supportive manner – enough said…

http://www.conundrumadventures.com/Calgary-Teambuilding.php

Vancouver Team Building Benefits

Lynn — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:45:53 +0000

We believe the number one benefit of a Conundrum adventure delivered in Downtown Vancouver is the opportunity to truly experience that a team can deliver better results than each individual working alone. Each of our Vancouver conundrums utilize the existing treasures in a unique way to help team members build on each others ideals to solve interesting yet challenging conundrums. Check out our Vancouver adventure today!

http://www.conundrumadventures.com/Vancouver-Team-Building.php

Calgary Team Building – Conundrum

Lynn — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:07:38 +0000

We have just launched our indoor team building offering in Calgary to compliment our current outdoor adventure. The indoor adventure is set at the Glenbow Museum. Check it out, its a great offering.

http://www.conundrumadventures.com/Calgary-Indoor-Team-Building.php

The Impact of Email on Team Dynamics

Lynn — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:17:05 +0000

I recently read an article about a “30 Day E-mail Detox” and found it quite insightful on a personal level. I’m very much addicted to my blackberry and check email continuously through-out the day and evening. The challenge was to give it up for 30 days and then return to a more normal level or at least make a conscious choice to utilize email instead of a robotic connection. I must admit it didn’t convince me to take the challenge but it did get me thinking about the impact of email on team dynamics.

With Trust being on of the fundamental elements of successful teams, when teams rely on email as the number one source of communication it can leave lots of room to impact trust development. Some things to keep in mind as it relates to email and your team:

The written word, even electronic is much more permanent than the spoken word so if in doubt about if you should have a conversation face to face or via email, err on the side of face to face.
You lose the benefit of non verbal cues when communicating through email so if the subject is sensitive at all, again err on the side of face to face or at a minimum on the phone at least you do get to gauge response right away and clarify if needed based on a verbal response.
Quantity can detract from quality – its so easy to fire off quick emails, quick responses, ensure that you don’t rely on it as the sole source of communication with team members, “social” bonds are critical to team development so make sure you take time to foster them directly.

Lynn

Team Enthusiast