Every successful leader needs a supportive team that will do their best to help bring a great vision to fruition. Organizations that have such leaders and teams have to have a culture of trust, authenticity, and camaraderie, but it can often be difficult to establish all that without knowing your employees.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to get to know your employees better through various activities and exercises, since not everything has to revolve around work all the time. So, let’s see some of the fun ways that can help you get insight into who your employees are.
Organize Talent Shows
This can be a fun exercise for everyone since you can get to know each other and people can get to show off their talents. You can host a talent show each month or once a year and let your employees show what they are good at (besides work).
On talent shows, anything goes – from musical numbers, juggling, and acting to an ability to make weird noises or whatever your employees would like to show to you. You may be surprised at how creative and innovative and talented your employees are, so why not let them in on a safe space to be themselves.
Bring Your Pet to Work Day
If you are not big on having your offices occupied by pets on a daily basis, you can offer a one-time opportunity for everyone to bring their pets. This can be a nice bonding opportunity for all of you that work together as you introduce each other to your pets.
What is more, if someone has exotic pets, it can be a good chance for them to educate you on those pets, teach you about their nutrition, habitats and so much more. Plus, you can see how everyone treats their pets, how much they love them, and meet some cute puppies and other animals.
Play Sports Together
This activity can be fun, but only if you have an office full of people who like sports or are athletic. You can organize your team of employees into different teams and organize a mini basketball or even soccer tournament. See what sports everyone likes playing and smaller tournaments can be a nice way to relieve some stress and show your competitive sides.
However, if your employees do not all like high-energy sports, you can consider less interactive activities. For example, you can have a night out and throw some darts or play snooker or pool. Also, you can all go on a weekend vacation and play some golf.
There are great Arizona golf packages that you and your team may enjoy, especially if you are already in the area. By playing golf, nobody has to break a sweat and you all still get to compete, walk and chat to get to know each other.
Play “Getting to Know You” Games
These games can be as simple as putting a selection of questions on paper in a bowl and having everyone draw a paper and answer. You can all sit down, come up with some questions, get them in a pile and have fun getting to know each other. Some questions you can feature are:
- What’s the craziest thing you’ve done?
- What would you do if you won the lottery?
- What superpower you’d like to have and why?
- If you had a time machine, what time period would you visit?
These are just some examples, and you can write down any question that you might think would be a nice conversation starter. Plus, you can learn something about your employees, and see how fun they are.
Got to Lunch Together
Sometimes, the simplest thing can get you the best results. If you and your employees are used to eating alone at the office, try and change that from time to time. You can organize a collective lunch break once a month, and have everyone chat while enjoying food.
Go to a local restaurant or order food at the office, and whatever you do simply try and start some natural conversation and check in with your employees and how they feel. You will be surprised how easily they will start talking and you will all start to feel much more comfortable with each other.
Work doesn’t always have to be just about work. If you want to have people who will support you and your business, you have to spend some time getting to know them. However, don’t be pushy and always make sure that everyone is comfortable with the activities you choose, and you will all bond in no time.
Eve Anderson is a marketing specialist turned blogger. Interested in sports and exciting travel destinations. Love to share content that can inform people.
