Written by Heather Wood
A recent Gallup survey reports full time employees in the U.S. work an average of 47 hours per week. This means we spend A LOT of time with the people we work with. Sometimes it feels like we see our team members more than we see our families! Together we meet, brainstorm, debate, strategize, eat lunch, fight fires, innovate, solve problems, address clients’ needs…you name it, we do it AND we’re good at it, accomplishing great things! We rely on each other to be successful. So, how well do we know each other? It’s Monday morning and you’re back in the office working on the XYZ project. What else do you know about your team member besides her weekend was good? It might be fun and informative to dig a little deeper.
The next time you’re in a group meeting, suggest the following activity. If you’re not leading the meeting, suggest this activity be added to the agenda in advance. Trust me, it will be worth it. Ask everyone to note on a piece of paper two things that are true about themselves and one thing that is not so true…okay, an out and out lie! Make sure everyone adds their name too. Ask the group to be creative, mix up their responses so it’s not obvious which of the three is which and, to have fun with it! Then, read each list out loud and have the group guess what’s true about the person and what’s not. You may be surprised at the hidden talents of the team members you thought you knew!
Why be bothered? Well, it’s a time, trust, and a pause to have fun thing. The more we know about each other as individuals, the more we can pause and have a laugh together, the more we can trust each other. Trust leads to higher levels of employee engagement and productivity in the workplace. So, if we’re going to spend 47 + hours together, let’s take this working relationship to the next level!
