Team building events suck

06/27/08 02:00 PM Filed in: Working in marketing today

Every year or so most of us run into something called a "team building event" at work. This usually involves a day off site doing something boring with people you don't want to associate with in or out of the office. Managers feel they need team building events to bring people together but the reality is that most of us would rather be at the dentist getting root canal than attending a team building event.

There are some people that I work with that I really like, but over the course of my career I have learned to be very cautious about who I call "friend". I have had people stab me in the back to get ahead and have had a lot of people take credit for the work that I did. I therefore have learned to be very guarded about what I say and to whom. But managers still feel that we need to go offsite and spend 8 hours together and that will make a cohesive team. It won't.

I have managed people before and they always like the way I manage them. Here are my principles of management:

1. Listen to what is being said. Not just the words but the body language as well.

2. Understand that peoples lives do not rotate around work and other personal issues may sometime take up work time.

3. Spend time with your people. Learn what motivates them and where they want to go in life.

4. Hold them accountable for their work but remember a good manager takes all of the blame and none of the credit.

5. Understand that risk may sometime lead to failure but learn to manage the risk and reward those who are willing to take a chance.

6. During the spring and summer don't be afraid to tell people to go home early and enjoy the day. Mental health days are a reality in today's workplace.

7. Always coach them but remember that sometimes they are going to need to fall off the bike in order to learn how to ride it.

8. Compliment them and thank them personally when they make you look good.

Simple isn't it? Yet you would be surprised how many people can't learn this and would rather spend money for an off site of team building.