Small businesses often overlook the importance of deliberate teambuilding activities.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, many small business owners may want to consider a relationship tune-up with employees. The tune-up could be designed to both strengthen the team and celebrate employees.
The main reason small business owners overlook the importance of deliberate teambuilding activities is their size. It hardly seems sensible to some small business owners to focus efforts on teambuilding for an office of three employees. Owners and managers may be deceived into believing that their team is already cohesive because of its small size. But in reality, teambuilding is always necessary even with the smallest groups. Rather than thinking of it as teambuilding, it may be helpful to think of it as a companywide date night.
Just as marriages are strengthened when husband and wife take a break to focus on relationship maintenance, employee/employer relationships can benefit from a little tender love and care. Date night does not have to be weekly, but it should be a regularly scheduled opportunity for all employees, managers and consultants to tune-up and evaluate the success of the relationship.
A companywide date night is more entertaining than a staff meeting and far less elaborate than a full-blown company retreat.
Do not use the “date” as a time to tackle the company task list. Use it to see if the people who are charged with protecting the integrity of your product or service are still happy doing so. If they are not happy, determine if there are reasonable changes that can be implemented to improve their happiness quotient without compromising the quality of what you offer?
Small business owners who work as independent consultants may see themselves as a one-man band with no real team. In reality, no one is in it alone. Vendors, consultants, family and friends can all be considered the team. The purpose of a teambuilding date night is creating a mission forward environment. Therefore having a time set aside quarterly or yearly to address the mutually beneficial aspects of the relationship with vendors and contractors is a smart endeavor for any size business.
A companywide date night is also an opportunity for team appreciation. Consultants, partners, family and friends who have been a champion of your business make up your team. Celebrating them is a way to build continued good will.
A companywide date night does not have to be expensive. You can provide something as basic as cupcakes and cocoa in the break room or as elaborate as a finely catered affair. The main objectives are to give stakeholders an opportunity to evaluate the success of the working relationship and to show those who support you and your business that you are appreciative.
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