5 Exercises to Increase Team Performance

Author Almu Corazon 

I believe we are all leaders. We lead ourselves to achieve goals and fulfill expectations. Regardless of our public power, every one of us is an influencer. Thus why the way we communicate with our coworkers, clients and industry colleagues shape our results and overall public image.
 
As leaders, it is essential that we understand the impact of blame. Every once in a while, our teams will run into a mistake or two. For the most part, these mistakes are easy to manage and take care of, but when it comes to stating who is to blame, it’s easy to get into trouble.

It's important for leaders and organization managers who are trying to shape their cultures in a way to improve performance and creativity, to keep blaming others to a minimum. If you're an organizational leader, don't blame other people, at least not publicly. Blaming others sabotages relationships. Reprimanding your team is a poor way of dealing with the problem and does nothing to actually remedy the situation. As a result, it can end up making your team feel like they can’t go to you when a problem arises, potentially leading to bigger problems. You might want to offer praise in public, but if you have to blame someone, do it in private.
 
GOOD LEADER DOESN’T:

• Blame
• Make people feel guilty
• Humiliate colleagues, especially in front of others         

 
GOOD LEADERS:

• Take responsibility
• Nurture the people they work with
• Help rectify mistakes
• Admit when they’ve got it wrong
• Accept that the buck stops with them

 
Besides, removing fear and establishing a take-responsibility culture begins with the leaders:

• It Creates Trust, fostering stronger bonds among team members that will result on higher performance.
• Your Team Is Your Responsibility, whatever your team does should ultimately fall on you. You advise your team on most of the decisions they make, so it should probably go without saying that when they make a mistake, you may be just as guilty as they are.
• You Are The Brand Representative, the way you handle your employees has a direct impact on your business ROI. When employees understand their leaders are on their side and want them to win, they become confident and better at their job.

I always said, “If there is a blame to be had, great leaders take it on. If there is a credit to be given, they give it away to others.”
 
Recently, a client running a retail store was having difficulties increasing his team’s performance rate. So, we decided to create an internal calendar of events to generate team-building activities, keep his personnel motivated and drive inspiration for action. Here are examples of the different exercises done to increase results:

1. Laser-Tag Games, where employees have the opportunity to become team leathers to preserve their group from being laser-tagged, and win.
2. Pot-Luck Picnics, to introduce employees’ cultural backgrounds, learn from their origins and discuss healthy food habits everyone can add to their routines to create a healthier work environment. As a result, we learnt that most employees want to eat healthy and loose weight. So every employee keeps the pantry clean from junk food; and, every week one of them is in charge of buying healthy snacks such as fruits, nuts, dark chocolate, in an effort to support each other.
3. Failure Parties, in which employees talk about their mistakes with the purpose to create the opportunity to take responsibility for their own mistakes in public in order to be a model of this behavior. Failure is a second chance to success -- it’s a matter of learning and growing from it.
4. Panels & Round Tables, industry experts are invited to share their skills in an informal discussion for employees to expand their knowledge on important matters.
5. Team-Up Meet-Ups, each month two employees team up to assist each other on their duties and learn from each other’s responsibilities. So if someone is off for any reason, others can pick up responsibilities covering for their teammates. This also keeps them motivated as every month they break their working routines.

 
His team is small, so it is crucial for my client to maintain healthy organizational dynamics to foment a positive work environment. These activities which foster leadership, partnership, integrity and personal growth are bringing his staff together, making them feel important and recognized, while cultivating leaders on different working forces. Also, workers have shared with us that they love this approach because these activities have allowed them to learn how important this business is for my client and his family.
 
How do you increase performance rates in your business/department? Do you or did you ever conduct/ed any team-building efforts? Have you ever created an excuse-free culture among your team/company members? How did you achieve it? Share with us in the comment section. 

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