OK, everyone, we're going to a picnic and each person is going to a bring a snack that starts with the same letter as your first name. So, I'm Lily and I'll be bringing lima beans!
Recognize that? That's the sound of a tedious, terrible ice breaker. If you're tired of using duds, check out Open Forum, which offers a few team builders that really work. Don't expect pre-packaged games, though. These games are handmade by CEOs for their employees. Here's one, for instance, from Andrea Manfredi, founder and CEO of SuperMoney.
SuperMoney stages “Play Hard—Work Hard” events that are held after a full workday, when employees take a chartered bus to an offsite location. There, they play games until early morning, then rest for a couple of hours, and finally go back to work at about 10 a.m. On the second day, employees are tired but learn to work together in a stressful setting.
“Difficult times create more passion and connection than easy times,” says Manfredi. “If you go through tough moments together, you bond much more with each other; if you play normal games at normal hours, the typical [offsite] team building activity, it is useless!”
