- Think about this.
Employees that feel a strong connection
with their team have a 21% higher productivity rate.
Humans are social animals,
and we rely heavily on emotions,
even in competitive spaces like the workplace.
Strengthening your team's social bonds is a proven way
to improve their overall performance.
Other benefits of having a strong bond
among your team members are
better team dynamics and communication,
improved team morale, increased employee retention,
and just having fun and de-stressing.
So what can you do to help ensure your reps are engaged
with their teammates?
There are many team-building activities that teams
of all sizes can try to have a more cohesive dynamic.
In my company, Badger Maps,
we set up team-building activities
as a part of our onboarding.
For example, I personally go on a treasure hunt
around our neighborhood in San Francisco with new hires.
It's not only a fun way to get familiar with the area,
but it's also a great opportunity to get out of the office
and enjoy the afternoon.
We also have a team meetup at the end of the week,
where each member reflects
on their personal accomplishments for the week,
as well as recognizes the accomplishments
of their teammates.
This is a great way to keep abreast of what's going on
and have everyone end the week on a high note.
This is also a perfect moment to publicly recognize people
for their great work as a group.
We also have an award that we give out every week
for badger of the week for someone
who has gone above and beyond,
and whoever receives the award the week before chooses
who gets it the following week.
The lesson from all this,
peer recognition is just as important
as management recognition.
It's very important to have team-building activities
outside the workplace, as well.
Some great ideas are escape rooms, hikes, ax throwing.
I'm not making this up.
I actually did this in my Utah office.
Karaoke, mini golf or real golf, painting,
cooking, other fun classes, etc.
Potlucks and barbecues are also great ideas
that are within budget and easy to execute.
These are fantastic for celebrating birthdays, holidays,
or any accomplishment and really do a lot to bring
your team closer together as coworkers and friends.
I strongly believe that giving back to the community is
a nice way to bring your team together.
So try having your team members volunteer together,
take part in a friendly competition to raise money
for a good cause,
or participate in a volunteer activity together.
Here's a pro tip.
It's always a good idea to involve reps in brainstorming
and planning team-building outings.
Not only does this take the responsibility off your plate,
yay delegation, but it also lets people
on the team work together on something
that's different than work,
which deepens their relationships.
Consider your own team and write down
two team-building exercises that you can carry out
within the next two months.
This is an often overlooked strategy
to drive productivity for your sales team.
Thanks for joining.
If you want to learn more from me about sales,
check out my podcast, The Outside Sales Talk,
or you can check out my other video trainings.
Some are on LinkedIn Learning,
and some are on the Badger Maps YouTube page.