Natural Team Building

At a recent company meeting a question was raised about increasing internal funding to team-building events and outings. I assume that this was out of a sincere desire to foster team bonding within working groups. The occasional trip to Top Golf, indoor sky-diving, or perhaps an evening of board games and food on the company dime, all in the hopes that members become closer as colleagues and forge a closer working relationship.

This is well and good and I definitely support team-building events but will contriving activities, adding a calendar invite, and expecting everyone to show up on a Tuesday night really help bond a team?

My team has gone from being strangers, to outspoken opponents, to authentic friends and it wasn’t from cooking up once-a-month activities to change that dynamic. It was by being honest, talking, and truth be told, by having lunch together on a regular basis. Nothing special. Just grabbing some food at the cafeteria or walking to a food truck and sharing time together, outside of the work at hand, laughing, being silly, and building trust. One terrible dad-pun joke at a time.