Teambuilding During Meetings: How to Make It a Reality

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Hello, Ken Lear here!

Team building is an important part of creating a thriving work culture and an efficient team. However, it can become difficult to find a time when the entire team is free to participate in teambuilding exercises—so how are you supposed to bond with them? One trick you might try is taking advantage of the times you are all together, such as meetings, to hold teambuilding exercises and get to know your team.

Given that you’ll have a limited amount of time immediately before and after your meetings, your teambuilding activities should be short and effective. Below are a few examples of quick teambuilding exercises that are also really fun!

Two Truths and a Lie

This game allows you to get to know your team better in quite a few ways. The rules are simple: one nominated person will think of three things about themselves, two truthful and one a lie. Then, everyone else must attempt to pick out which of the three items is the lie.

This game is best played when the nominated person chooses ridiculous and unbelievable things for the game. Not only is this game a lot of fun, but it also allows your team to bond with each other and share exciting facts about themselves with the entire team.  

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Board Games

The short periods of time before and after meetings are perfect for playing one or two quick board games with the team. The biggest trick to accomplishing this without it devolving into a distracting exercise is to intelligently choose board games that are fast to play and where teamwork is present.

Keep in mind that there should be a set time limit for games, and that playing them isn’t appropriate before every single meeting. Most importantly, choose a game that can teach your team something that they can use in their work in some way. Some examples might include Checkers, Connect Four, Mancala, and Zombie Dice.

Just Talk!

It sounds obvious, but simply talking with your team can be one of the most effective teambuilding exercises. Try asking your team about their weekend, recent movies they have seen, or their hobbies and interests.

Think of this experience as similar to trying to make a new friend. Remember that you are still in a professional setting, but don’t be afraid to let your guard down and share a few chuckles with your team from time to time.

For additional blogs from entrepreneurship , leadership, and business expert Ken Lear, head over to his personal website Ken-Lear.com.

Finding a Job You Love

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Ken Lear here.

A famous Confucius quote reads, “Choose a job you’ll love and you’ll never have to work another day.” This is something that most people believe in, but don’t take the steps to make it a reality. No job is worth it if you’re not happy or satisfied with the work. It can be difficult to find and lock down a job that you will love, but it is also very worth the effort. To find that job, you must be able to have a sense of where you want to be headed in the future. Finding meaning in a career is of utmost importance to a happy life. Here are three things you can do today to find a job that you can have a real passion for:

For more business advice and information about Ken Lear, check out his personal website.

Find a Company with Similar Values

It’s tough to love your job when the company you work for does not practice the same values as you do. From environmental awareness to employee appreciation, finding a company that does the things you think a company should is significant. This is imperative: no one can be happy with a job when they are aware they heavily disagree on the values the company presents.

Look to the Future

When taking a new job, think five years down the line. Is this a job you will be satisfied with? Will it keep you motivated? Will it help you get where you need to get?  Looking down the line with your job is a great way to see if it will be worth your time. If this job is not going to get you where you need (and want) to go, you may have to look elsewhere.

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Talk with People Who've Figure It Out

It doesn’t hurt to ask those who love their jobs how they were able to do it. Most will tell you that they figured out what they were passionate about and pursued it. This is the underlining fate that you must understand to get a job you love: passion will always triumph money or power. Talking with others will allow you to see that its possible to find a job you love. You just need to put in the effort and time to find out what your passions truly are.

Staying Focused at Work

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If everyone could without getting distracted, jobs would be much easier. It happens to everyone: right before you’re ready to work, a new email comes that needs to be dealt with swiftly. As people continue to find news ways to connect with each other, more distractions at work are created. There’s so many time wasting habits that we don’t even notice. Here are a few tips to stay focused while in the office:

Have a Routine

There’s nothing wrong with a little of the same thing every day. The routine that you put together will give some framing to how a typical workday goes. When the workday isn’t mapped out and planned, it can be difficult to stay on a schedule. Create a routine that allows you to be more efficient and keep your responsible for getting tasks done. Soon enough, the routine will be integrated to make focusing on work a piece of cake. 

Start Early

Everyone loves getting their sleep, but the benefits of coming to the office early greatly outweigh waking up later. When you can start the workday immediately, you get a jump-start on emails, reading news, and that morning cup of joe. The greatest benefit of starting early is the feeling that time is on your side. More than often do we find ourselves in crunch mode to get a report done or make a meeting. Start early to ensure that you have time to get everything done. If waking up is a problem, try and go to bed as early as you can. Being refreshed for the day is just as important.

Practice Relaxation Techniques

There’s a ton of different problems that we all go through everyday. Taking some time, even a few minutes, to relax or meditate on your life can do wonders. Shut things down for a few seconds and reach deep down to bring yourself peace. Relaxation techniques are the perfect remedy for too much stress. When you feel out of focus or not able to get the right amount of work done, relaxing for a short time can go a long way. 

Avoid Procrastination

Waiting for the last minute might have been able to be pulled off back when you were in school, but in the professional world it spells nothing but trouble. A great procrastinator relines too heavily excuses. Don’t allow these things to let you just slip by and barely accomplish things. Clearing out the idea of using excuses will only make you stronger.

Stay Away from the Internet

More business is done online than ever before, but that doesn’t meet you need to check your Twitter feed every 5 minutes. Do your best to stay away from any social media or reading any blog articles that aren’t specific to your current work. With all the possibilities and information the Internet offers, it’s easy to get distracted quickly. If you truly want to stay focused, stay off the Internet and only use it sparingly.

To learn more about Ken Lear, check out his page on CrunchBase.