Success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes planning, brainstorming, and often, a fresh perspective. To encourage collaboration and build excitement, consider stepping outside the office walls and into an inspiring space. “A new environment can often spark new thoughts and deepen engagement levels,” said Peerspace founder and CEO, Rony Chammas. “Professionals view their experiences in these spaces as a refreshing change of pace from their day-to-day.”
Here are five ways you can get your team in sync for the new year.
Photography by ComePlum
1. Planning sessions
Now is the time to create your roadmap for success. These planning sessions are pivotal in laying down the foundation so you’re not scrambling come February. We talked to Asana’s Product Marketing Lead, Devon Watts, who recommends, “Clarify who, what, and when. Make sure next steps, responsibilities, and timelines are clear. That way, everyone on your team will know exactly how they are contributing to the overall goal.” He also suggests, “Don’t use regular team meetings to do your planning. If you meet in the same physical space during the same time slot as your weekly meetings, you’ll have trouble getting fresh ideas out of your team.”
2. Sales kickoffs
A new fiscal year means an opportunity to get your team energized and excited to meet their goals. To keep your team engaged and focused, avoid making it all about presentations. Structure the day with dynamic speakers and find a space that is both inspiring and practical to help your team hit the ground running.
Explore creative meeting spaces
Photography by ComePlum
3. Team Building Activities
Employees often dread structured team bonding activities because they envision forced mingling and awkward trust falls. Get your team out of the office for the day and plan something unique that employees will actually want to attend, paint and wine nights, cooking classes, and pop-up dinners are great ways to foster team unity. Afterall, happy employees are productive employees.
4. Trainings
LinkedIn’s Marketing Manager, Paul Petrone, believes the main reason behind Google’s success is that, “they made a decision early on in its existence: rather than spending money on getting a lot of customers; it spent money on getting the best employees, knowing the customers would follow.” Investing in your employees through learning and development programs will help your company’s ROI in the long run. To build excitement and increase efficiency, think about taking your training offsite and into a fresh environment.
5. Retreats
Corporate retreats have proven to be an effective way to get your team together in a relaxed setting. Getting out of the office will help get your team in the right frame of mind to innovate, strategize, and bond together. There’s been a growing trend from top companies like Google and Uber favoring retreat venues like private homes and estates. More than just a breath of fresh air, these corporate retreats help maximize the long-term results of a team’s time away from the office.
Think about scheduling trainings, sales kickoffs, and other team building activities because a successful start to Q1 will help set the tone for the year ahead.
Explore meeting spaces
