Guest Blogpost by Laura Wallace, Owner and Creative Director, Worx Graphic Design, based in Hagerstown MD. Laura is a branding expert, author and speaker.
There’s an age old saying that the customer is always right. Taking great care of your clients and giving them a positive working experience is one of the greatest ways to grow your business. To take great care of your clients you must take great care of your team. If your people are happy, they’ll naturally take care of those around them.
It’s important to do things outside of your normal work setting with your team. Before they’re employees, they are people. They have personalities, ideas, passions and stories. By creating a space that allows them to express themselves, you create a stronger connection between everyone on the team. It shows that you’re willing to invest in them as people first and that creates a loyal connection. It also lets everyone interact outside of typical work, creating a friend circle that is familiar and comfortable.
At Worx, we schedule regular outings as a team. We like to call them “crumple days”. A day where we invest our time in something other than working behind a computer. Most recently we blocked out a day to go to Georgetown, MD. We had lunch at PF Chang’s (the team chose), walked the streets of Georgetown and went into well branded stores to gain inspiration. We ended the day by participating in an Escape Room where we had to work as a team to escape the ghosts from Ghostbusters followed by a stop to Georgetown Cupcakes (a team favorite). We laughed, worked together and celebrated with a glass of wine (or two).
When we’re out on these excursions, we get to know one another as individuals, not just co-workers. It strengthens our trust and comradery and builds lasting friendships. It also boosts our relationship with clients. They follow along on social media, wondering what we’ll get into next. They see the type of connection and brand atmosphere we have and are eager to be part of it. Company culture and team activities are a great way to attract the right type of client. When a client resonates with who you are as a team, they’ll want to do business with you. It’s a positive side effect of being authentically you.
It’s also important to step away from the day-to-day routine. Resting your eyes and energizing your mind brings everyone back refreshed and ready to kick ass.
Outside team building exercises can be small and powerful or detailed and robust. Consider the season you’re in, what common interest your team has and how you all can benefit from it. Here are a few fun ways to break out of the cycle and gain some team power:
- Physical team building activities – adventure parks, zip lining, ropes courses or races
- Mental team building activities – escape rooms, board game parties, personality tests
- Inspirational activities – museums, art classes, visiting a complementing business and community involvement
- Just because activities – beer or wine tours, visiting a neighboring city, extended lunches
Company outings give the team an opportunity to reignite their own individual fires by stepping away from everyday tasks and truly being a part of each other’s company, all while gaining perspective and relevancy from the surroundings they experience.
Keep your outings frequent, relevant and fun. Your team will show their thanks through their hard work and dedication to the company.
