Showing posts with label Team Building Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Team Building Australia. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Corporate Training is not just Team Building.
Many think that a corporate training program will actual create a team, or build a team to be greater. Well, this not necessary the case. Training should be delivered to address a purpose and to attempt to 'kill two birds with one stone' can cause confusion, lower the quality of the program and miss the mark - its a risk to try to conquer too much in a training agenda.
Corporate Training really focuses on the business needs and courses to address specifics, the theory aspect of the topic, yet sometimes miss the practical implication and illustration of the outcome, teaching groups about computer skills or products, service technics etc. Team Building is more general, an experience allows the team to see the benefit of working together, and how much better a group work when aligned as a team.
But is Team Building Corporate Training? well its not actual 'sold' as an actual skill or course, many still perceive the wording as fuzzy, or a fun 2 hour session at a conference. Allocating the spend per head still not obvious in ROI accounts - yet to spend $$$ on a Word training program is essential! Where the team could be enhanced, is send a few people on the Word Training program and allow the to cross-skill upon their return to the team - now thats a free team-building activity and a great ROI.
We know how and what is needed to create a great group to work as a unit stronger - its whether a business sees the difference and understands the priority in their needs.
Teambuilding Australia prides itself on being up front on their delivery, offering a ROI and outcome focused proposal.
Corporate Training really focuses on the business needs and courses to address specifics, the theory aspect of the topic, yet sometimes miss the practical implication and illustration of the outcome, teaching groups about computer skills or products, service technics etc. Team Building is more general, an experience allows the team to see the benefit of working together, and how much better a group work when aligned as a team.
But is Team Building Corporate Training? well its not actual 'sold' as an actual skill or course, many still perceive the wording as fuzzy, or a fun 2 hour session at a conference. Allocating the spend per head still not obvious in ROI accounts - yet to spend $$$ on a Word training program is essential! Where the team could be enhanced, is send a few people on the Word Training program and allow the to cross-skill upon their return to the team - now thats a free team-building activity and a great ROI.
We know how and what is needed to create a great group to work as a unit stronger - its whether a business sees the difference and understands the priority in their needs.
Teambuilding Australia prides itself on being up front on their delivery, offering a ROI and outcome focused proposal.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Team Building Feedback
'What an awesome night! None of us have had that much fun in a long long time. Thank you very much for such a memorable evening.' Fairfax
'Thanks for putting together an excellent day yesterday... the feedback from everyone has been really positive!' Dept of Defence
'The best team building we have ever done!' TELSTRA
"Feedback was excellent! Comments such as "best teambuilding ever!"
were common". 3M HEALTHCARE
What can I say! You and your team were an absolute hit! Our entire team's response, indicated the activity was a huge success! ING
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Which Teambuilding company?
7 Questions to ask when selecting
a TeamBuilding company!
Buyer Beware! Many team building companies are simply recreation suppliers who know how to play games, but don't understand business.
Possibly the best way to evaluate a team building company is to ask their advice on helping you solve an actual problem your team is facing. You might be surprised how many team building companies know how to play games, and they may even know how to debrief those games, but they don't really know team dynamics in the business world. The vast majority of team building practitioners do NOT come from a business background. They come from a recreational background. Therefore, they probably do not understand your business. By asking them to consult with you for 10 - 15 minutes on an actual team building problem you will see who can deliver the goods and who can't.
Q. Can you give me some advice on a specific problem I am having with my team?
It seems that "team building" is quickly becoming a buzz word for all kinds of service providers: from clowns to sailors to wine tasting companies. Effective team building must be delivered by a company with training expertise. Too often, companies which call what they do "team building" are simply wanting to take your money and play games with your people.
The quickest way to determine if a team building company can actually help you build your teams is to ask what training assessment instruments they are certified in. At the very least they should be certified in D.i.S.C. work profile assessment and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This question will quickly remove the fun n' games outfits from the serious team building providers.
Q. How do you help participants make connections from the activities to business applications?
There is a particular skill set involved in leading and facilitating an excellent team building program. The first skill is design and the second is delivery. Frankly, design is the easy part. Almost any team building activity can work for almost any team building issue. It is true that some activities lend themselves to particular outcomes (i.e. communication, trust, problem solving, decision making, cooperation vs. competition, etc.) but in the hands of a skilled, professional facilitator the activity will get debriefed according to the real world issue the team is facing.
The hard part in any team building program is delivery (facilitating). It is surprising how many team building companies simply don't facilitate (or debrief) the activities. They ask a few questions at the end of the game and move into the next game. Again, DON'T waste your money on companies like these. Instead, ask the company to walk you through their philosophy on how they debrief activities. Ask them to give you a sample of the questions they ask. Good team building companies will have a developed philosophy on how they debrief. Their strategy will make good sense once they share it with you, so don't hesitate to ask.
Q. What training assessments are you certified in?
If your people are reluctant to go to a team building program it is probably because they have been subjected to these fun n' games activities with little or no business applications. The MOST important transaction that can happen during a team building event is for your people to solve real world business problems. That is ultimately what your company is paying for and that is what your company should get.
Ask the team building companies you are interviewing how they help participants make connections from the team building activities to business problems. Good team building companies will be able to give you lots and lots of extremely relevant examples. Drill down and ask for specifics on how the team building events they use have specifically helped past clients. If they can't give you specifics, backed up with several examples, then they simply don't know how to link the activity to real world business applications.
Q. What is your philosophy on how you debrief activities?
Q. Can you give me a list of sample questions you use?
Of course the really good team building companies have a long track record of success. Many companies post client lists on their web sites. If a company does not have a client list, make sure and ask for one. This will tell you if they are just starting out (and using your company as a learning experience for them) or if they are a serious, established provider.
Q. How long have you been in business?
Q. Who are your past clients?
By asking these seven questions you will save your company a lot of money and your people a lot of frustration. Team building, when done right, is one of the most powerful ways to achieve significant breakthroughs in employee productivity. And hey, it is really, really fun too.
Call us and ask us these questions 1300 226110
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Team Players in your team...
Having good team players is key to great teams. No matter what other fancy stuff we do in the name of team building, if your team members are not good team players, managing the team will be quite a struggle.
How can good team players be developed?
Team players are usually the people that are known for sharing and hard work. This alone will not be sufficient as people also want to see their career progress and be recognized. Then how do you focus people towards the team goals? Being a team player often involves doing the right thing by not always having your self benefit in mind. Again, in this age of fast forward on careers and achievement, I cannot see how most people will accept this line. The question of "what is in it for me?" must be answered. Team goals and objectives must be set. There is no compromise for this because there is no need for the team if not for the project. Now, for the team members. They must have their personal development goals also set. In some organizations, employee development plan is part of the people development process. In fact, people placement into projects are very much influenced by the employee development plans. If this has already happened and the team members are in line for career progress through this team assignment, then half the battle is won. If this is not how they were assigned, then the project manager or the team leader can discuss with the team members on what are their development and career progression goals. Many a time, it is possible that by contributing to the project success, the team members would also make progress. The fact that you even bothered to find out what are their personal development goals, you would already have created a positive impression with the team members. Just this alone could make a difference in your team building events. There will be times when the project goals and the team members' plans are not in a similar direction. First thing you must do is to decide whether skill-wise this person fits into the team requirements. If not, do yourself and the team a favor and get a replacement for this person. You might also be doing this person a favor. However, if it is not a skill mismatch, then understand this person's aspirations and see if it is possible to assign some activities that will achieve these. Again, it will be a win-win-win-win situation for you, the team, the team members and especially the project which after all is what it is all about. Just caring enough for the individual will make the person contribute more to the project. If despite all this, the team members still think that this project or team is not where they want to be in, then there is one other suggestion. It is not always that we can choose exactly what we want to do. But then, it is not always that we know what are the possibilities in our lives. Maybe, this is the opportunity that will bring something different that could lead to new possibilities. Suggest that they look for new skills and experiences that will become part of their resume for the next job. Remind them of Napoleon Hill's " Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." This is not hype! How can it be hype if Napoleon Hill's books are as popular now as they were years ago? But if the project or team leader thinks it is hype, then this is a difficult step for the leader. As someone said " I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care". I think one of the secrets in team building is caring not only for the project but also for each of the team members.
Team players are usually the people that are known for sharing and hard work. This alone will not be sufficient as people also want to see their career progress and be recognized. Then how do you focus people towards the team goals? Being a team player often involves doing the right thing by not always having your self benefit in mind. Again, in this age of fast forward on careers and achievement, I cannot see how most people will accept this line. The question of "what is in it for me?" must be answered. Team goals and objectives must be set. There is no compromise for this because there is no need for the team if not for the project. Now, for the team members. They must have their personal development goals also set. In some organizations, employee development plan is part of the people development process. In fact, people placement into projects are very much influenced by the employee development plans. If this has already happened and the team members are in line for career progress through this team assignment, then half the battle is won. If this is not how they were assigned, then the project manager or the team leader can discuss with the team members on what are their development and career progression goals. Many a time, it is possible that by contributing to the project success, the team members would also make progress. The fact that you even bothered to find out what are their personal development goals, you would already have created a positive impression with the team members. Just this alone could make a difference in your team building events. There will be times when the project goals and the team members' plans are not in a similar direction. First thing you must do is to decide whether skill-wise this person fits into the team requirements. If not, do yourself and the team a favor and get a replacement for this person. You might also be doing this person a favor. However, if it is not a skill mismatch, then understand this person's aspirations and see if it is possible to assign some activities that will achieve these. Again, it will be a win-win-win-win situation for you, the team, the team members and especially the project which after all is what it is all about. Just caring enough for the individual will make the person contribute more to the project. If despite all this, the team members still think that this project or team is not where they want to be in, then there is one other suggestion. It is not always that we can choose exactly what we want to do. But then, it is not always that we know what are the possibilities in our lives. Maybe, this is the opportunity that will bring something different that could lead to new possibilities. Suggest that they look for new skills and experiences that will become part of their resume for the next job. Remind them of Napoleon Hill's " Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." This is not hype! How can it be hype if Napoleon Hill's books are as popular now as they were years ago? But if the project or team leader thinks it is hype, then this is a difficult step for the leader. As someone said " I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care". I think one of the secrets in team building is caring not only for the project but also for each of the team members.
Team Players in your team...
Having good team players is key to great teams. No matter what other fancy stuff we do in the name of team building, if your team members are not good team players, managing the team will be quite a struggle.
How can good team players be developed?
Team players are usually the people that are known for sharing and hard work. This alone will not be sufficient as people also want to see their career progress and be recognized. Then how do you focus people towards the team goals? Being a team player often involves doing the right thing by not always having your self benefit in mind. Again, in this age of fast forward on careers and achievement, I cannot see how most people will accept this line. The question of "what is in it for me?" must be answered. Team goals and objectives must be set. There is no compromise for this because there is no need for the team if not for the project. Now, for the team members. They must have their personal development goals also set. In some organizations, employee development plan is part of the people development process. In fact, people placement into projects are very much influenced by the employee development plans. If this has already happened and the team members are in line for career progress through this team assignment, then half the battle is won. If this is not how they were assigned, then the project manager or the team leader can discuss with the team members on what are their development and career progression goals. Many a time, it is possible that by contributing to the project success, the team members would also make progress. The fact that you even bothered to find out what are their personal development goals, you would already have created a positive impression with the team members. Just this alone could make a difference in your team building efforts. There will be times when the project goals and the team members' plans are not in a similar direction. First thing you must do is to decide whether skill-wise this person fits into the team requirements. If not, do yourself and the team a favor and get a replacement for this person. You might also be doing this person a favor. However, if it is not a skill mismatch, then understand this person's aspirations and see if it is possible to assign some activities that will achieve these. Again, it will be a win-win-win-win situation for you, the team, the team members and especially the project which after all is what it is all about. Just caring enough for the individual will make the person contribute more to the project. If despite all this, the team members still think that this project or team is not where they want to be in, then there is one other suggestion. It is not always that we can choose exactly what we want to do. But then, it is not always that we know what are the possibilities in our lives. Maybe, this is the opportunity that will bring something different that could lead to new possibilities. Suggest that they look for new skills and experiences that will become part of their resume for the next job. Remind them of Napoleon Hill's " Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." This is not hype! How can it be hype if Napoleon Hill's books are as popular now as they were years ago? But if the project or team leader thinks it is hype, then this is a difficult step for the leader. As someone said " I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care". I think one of the secrets in team building is caring not only for the project but also for each of the team members.
Team players are usually the people that are known for sharing and hard work. This alone will not be sufficient as people also want to see their career progress and be recognized. Then how do you focus people towards the team goals? Being a team player often involves doing the right thing by not always having your self benefit in mind. Again, in this age of fast forward on careers and achievement, I cannot see how most people will accept this line. The question of "what is in it for me?" must be answered. Team goals and objectives must be set. There is no compromise for this because there is no need for the team if not for the project. Now, for the team members. They must have their personal development goals also set. In some organizations, employee development plan is part of the people development process. In fact, people placement into projects are very much influenced by the employee development plans. If this has already happened and the team members are in line for career progress through this team assignment, then half the battle is won. If this is not how they were assigned, then the project manager or the team leader can discuss with the team members on what are their development and career progression goals. Many a time, it is possible that by contributing to the project success, the team members would also make progress. The fact that you even bothered to find out what are their personal development goals, you would already have created a positive impression with the team members. Just this alone could make a difference in your team building efforts. There will be times when the project goals and the team members' plans are not in a similar direction. First thing you must do is to decide whether skill-wise this person fits into the team requirements. If not, do yourself and the team a favor and get a replacement for this person. You might also be doing this person a favor. However, if it is not a skill mismatch, then understand this person's aspirations and see if it is possible to assign some activities that will achieve these. Again, it will be a win-win-win-win situation for you, the team, the team members and especially the project which after all is what it is all about. Just caring enough for the individual will make the person contribute more to the project. If despite all this, the team members still think that this project or team is not where they want to be in, then there is one other suggestion. It is not always that we can choose exactly what we want to do. But then, it is not always that we know what are the possibilities in our lives. Maybe, this is the opportunity that will bring something different that could lead to new possibilities. Suggest that they look for new skills and experiences that will become part of their resume for the next job. Remind them of Napoleon Hill's " Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." This is not hype! How can it be hype if Napoleon Hill's books are as popular now as they were years ago? But if the project or team leader thinks it is hype, then this is a difficult step for the leader. As someone said " I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care". I think one of the secrets in team building is caring not only for the project but also for each of the team members.
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