The Healthy Project Manager

Today I’m sharing two simple team building activities that have been special to me over the years – sharing in the hope these might be helpful for someone else!

1. I had 12 people who reported to me.  We all sat together at a long table and each person was given a small bowl or plate.  Each person was handed 11 small, smooth stones (not larger than 2.5 inches) and a set of markers.  I asked each person to draw one positive word on each rock to describe each teammate.  In the end, each team member ended up with a plate holding 11 rocks painted with empowering words.  Even though we did this activity years ago, those plates and rocks remain important to us all and the plates holding inspiring words can still be seen on desks today.  These are the words my team used to describe me:  Leader, quarterback, beauty, family, honest, inspiring, truthful, kind, generous, motivator, energy.  When things seem hard, I just pick up a rock and feel stronger.  It didn’t cost much, but the impact has been great for each of us.  Some people now work for other companies, but they took their stones with them and they are still on their desks!
2. I asked everyone on the team to bring in 5 photos that tell a story about them.  Some brought pictures of themselves doing activities like rock climbing or soccer playing.  Others brought pictures with family members or pets.  I provided paper, special scrapbooking stickers and tape, etc. and everyone created a page that represented who they were.  In the end, we put the pages into an album and dated it with the year.  Over time, team members came and went but the albums were a fun reminder of who was here each year.  We learned so much about one another seeing their pictures, sharing stories and seeing one another as “well-rounded” individuals.  It was a really fun exercise.

Both of these were simple team building activities, but the positive results continue through to today.  Do you have a favorite team building activity you can share with us – one that really had great results?