My Firm’s MD Arranged Team Building Activities I Suggested!

1. My Firm’s MD Arranged Team Building Activities I Suggested! “Working in a team and sharing ideas makes the best output.” This is what’s written on the walls of every department at my office. When I joined the company, it was relatively a medium leveled organization with around 100 employees. But one thing that, specifically my department – operations, lacked was unity! Moreover, when it comes to operations, it is more than necessary to work together. While things were getting worse, our senior Operations Manager thought to make us one with an amazing team building strategy like the way Djembe drummers play drums – only for me! Today things have turned to something extra ordinary! Everyone is helpful, readily helps each other and even at times, works overtime just to make sure that his/her colleague offers the right and desired output. But how did this all happen? What did our Operations Manager do as such that every employee, who were only bothered about their own tasks, started working overtime at times when any team member failed to create the perfect or needed output? My dear readers, before I share with you about the team building strategy that our Operations Manager adapted; if your team is also lacking the needed unity that it should have, our experience can help you get the best ideas! The Situation – How Things Were Before? The week I joined my company, I saw things were working pretty normal. I did my tasks, asked for verifications from my immediate senior and nothing seemed out of the box. This went on for the first 3 days and on the 4th day, I was asked by my senior, “Are you an experienced worker?” I nodded and said, “Yes, I have a year of experience.” In the next moment she shifted my focus towards the work I did. I didn’t find anything wrong in that and started working again. Yes, this time, she suggested some changes that would add some perfection to my work. Things went on the same and I started noticing on the 5th day that the colleague sitting beside me, never bothered to even ask, how things were going! Then I started noticing

2. everyone’s timely punch-ins and punch-outs. Who on earth makes sure that a 9-5 job means, punching out exactly at 5:00:00pm! Not even a change in the seconds place! That seemed pretty abnormal to me, literally! As weeks passed by, I kept noticing the same thing on a regular basis! I wanted a change, a transition that would turn things upside down. But again I thought, who knows, maybe they would say, as my instincts said to me, “Just do your task the way I am doing mine! Don’t waste your time by bothering us!” So I contained my instincts and things went on as usual. Things Went Real Crazy And I Turned Around Rigidly! Around 2 months passed by and I was losing the motivation to keep myself going. I’m a self-motivated soul and never try to think negatively unless the situation makes me to. Yet, I try to strain out the positivity from it just to keep things on track. Moreover, observing my colleagues, I really found it difficult to keep my instincts positive! This also hampered my work! I tried harder and things went worse to a point that I started making mistakes! I came to realize that when one day, my immediate senior, our Team Leader called me and said, “Bella, you are an experienced employee, right?” I nodded positively but was oblivious about the fact that why is she asking me now when she knew that already! The next moment she yelled, (well, we have glass chambers and sound leakage to other cabins are almost negligible) “What’s the meaning of taking your salary when you are making such mistakes!” That hurt me real bad and I saw other team members are looking at me with a smile on their lips. My motivation got down to the tips of my feet and I politely replied back, “I will make sure not to make these mistakes again.” She went on, “The salary you take is for making sure that you don’t make these errors!” This just shattered my tolerance power and I replied back, “Why do you keep bringing the salary? I’m sure that you are not paying me! It’s the company that’s taking care of that! Moreover, as a Team Leader, you don’t have the right to say such things rather put your focus in helping your team members so that they work together and not make mistakes. I really find it hesitating to ask the person sitting beside me when I have a doubt! All of you are working like Robots! 9 – 5 and punch- outs at sharp 5:00:ZeroZero! Come on! Who on earth does that other than robots! Perhaps they also don’t do it! I think we should really work on building a team out here and opt for some team building activities!” (Sigh) I took a pause, our Team Leader kept quiet, I don’t know why; she didn’t even keep looking at me but across my shoulders. I regained my senses and said, “Ma’am, I will make sure that I don’t make these mistakes anymore!”

3. I’m Glad I Replied Back With Utter Rigidity! As, I turned back to move to my work station, I was baffled to find our Operations Manager looking at me without any expression neither did he blink! I thought that’s it and perhaps I will be thrown-out of the company! As many thoughts were running in my mind, he said, “In my cabin, NOW!” I had no way out so I followed him to his cabin. He went in, and held the door, for me to enter! He asked me to grab a chair and said, “What’s the matter Bella? I’ve heard all of it, but I skipped what Zoya (our Team Leader) said.” I narrated the whole incident and he smiled and said, “You mentioned team building activities. Why? Isn’t the group working as a team? And punching out at sharp 5! Wow, I see that you are an utter observant! I am glad that we have you onboard. I wanted someone who can change things and also have the sense to do that acutely!” His final statement was, “Do, you have any activity in mind that can help us build the team? I will discuss things with our MD and we can make the whole company do that!” I replied back, “Sir, I learnt to play instruments in a group right from school and I can play drums and piano. I think making every one play an instrument, a basic drum, say the ones that Djembe drummers play can help! It’s easy and everyone can even dance along with the beats!” He asked me get back to my station and refer him a group who can offer that! He followed me to our department’s cabin and as I sat on my chair, he said, “Make sure that you never again misbehave and do as I asked you to do! Focus on what I asked first and submit your task to me. And Zoya, I will mail you some tasks, make sure that you guide all members except Bella to complete it by today!” Dejembe Drummers, Samba Drummers and Dance Groups, I Found Them All! Dear readers, if you are searching for unique ideas that can build a team, this section says it all and how I did it and what I found. Moreover, you will also not need to look any further, provided that we (you and me) share the same frequency of perception! I took my search over to Google and amazingly found many drummers, dancers, and other similar groups. But my intention to find out a perfect group that can offer ‘drums and rhythm’ in unison was the key. I wanted a group that can offer drums to each of our member and teach along to play the beats. Every time any one misses, we should do it again. After thinking quite some time about the perfect phrase to type in the search box, I sighed and simply typed-in ‘Drums and Rhythm’! To my utter surprise, I found a website that exactly had the same name and visited it at once! I checked if they have expert

4. Djembe drummers or Samba drummers and also team building activities, and they did. In fact, what they were offering was exactly what I was searching for! Forwarded It To Our Operations Manager I asked him to check the wide array of unique, simple activities that can build a team. Moreover, with their group and activities, there is no way that any of our employees can skip or may not become eager to join-in! The drummers, as I mentioned, can tap every feet and there is no alternative to that! I think this will be the best way to make things work out and build out a team that we need immediately. We Danced, Drummed, And Worked As A Team The next week, our MD left us with a note at every work station with the details of the activity and I was more than happy! Zoya, was astonished and started talking to me very politely. Seeing that, I apologized to her and she accepted it. At the activity, we danced, played drums together and enjoyed every moment. Those who weren’t active enough, especially from our team, out of necessity joined the activity and on the 7th try, things started going smooth. Within 5 minutes of playing the drums, the Djembe drummers started tapping their feet and nodding their heads with each beat. We followed. I even got a chance to play with them and guide my colleagues with things. In short, it was the perfect team work that I was expecting. It was the positivity of our Operations Manager that we got an opportunity to build a strong bonding among employees. Today, as I said in the very beginning, employees have turned helpful, works together and everyone is approachable – just the way a company should be! So, if you are also thinking to get out of the box and search for team building activities, then try what I did. I guarantee, be it Djembe drummers or Samba Drummers, or dancing in groups along with the beats, music heals every single situation no matter how harsh it is! Do you think that it will work? Take your search over to Google and let me know what you think. For any similar ideas, do write to me in the comments. Also share my post if it’s worth sharing! Change Starts With You Bella