Drawing Energy From Your Team...
When You Have None To Give

Ever just run out of time, ideas, bandwidth, or just plain energy around meeting with your team? For me it always happened in the summer, when my thoughts were on anything but moving the team forward as vacation season went into full swing. So here are some thoughts on how to turn the table and let your team draw energy from each other and give you some along the way.

Theme the meeting. Something refreshing, cool, far away (think mountains or snow).

We start every meeting with High Fives all around and then everyone shares One Great Thing: work or personal. 

Next up, a One Word Activity.
Have everyone to grab a 3 x 5 card and a marker. I'm a fan of scented markers because they get people sniffing and that stimulates the brain :)

Then ask them, "What One Word Means ______ (refreshing, recharging, vacation) to You?" Have them write their response and go around the table. 
Then repeat the process for "What is Your Least Favorite_____?"
Followed by Most Favorite (ice cream, cold drink, winter sport). 

This is subtle team building because they will hear who has similar interests and talk with each other about the differences.
"I did not pick you for a strawberry ice cream eater."
"We both love snowboarding."

You can even have them get up and move around after they share, by having them get up and stand with their fellow Least Favorites and then with their Most Favorites, even if some are on their own, it gets everyone up and interacting.

Now, we move to the part that brings you some energy-

As they sit back down, ask them to grab another card and to write a sentence or two about the biggest win the team has had this year. Then go around and share.

Round Two is: to write in a sentence what they like the most about working here. Then go around and share. 

It keeps us thinking and remembering if we put the sentences on a poster board (with the snow and mountains :) someplace where our thoughts can be reflected on again as the week moves on.

As your Leader's Minute, thank them for sharing. (No other commentary needed).

Go to Recognition and ask them to thank someone around the table...

Close the meeting with High Fives all around.

Each time we do this, it let's us see what our people see, builds relationships, and fills our tank with some positive and productive energy when we need it : )

INSPIRATION STATION

A GREAT MEETING MODEL:

• OPENING CONNECTIONS

  • Hi Fives- Gets everybody up and energy flowing

  • Great Things- Everyone shares one GREAT thing that happened this week

  • Mission Moments- Share times we saw someone else making it happen 

  • One Word Activity- Gives the talkers and the thinkers equal voice

• BUSINESS CONNECTIONS

  • Measures of Business Success

  • Engaging Activity

• CLOSING CONNECTIONS

  • Leader's Minute- Share a Quote that applies to the Team accomplishing the mission

  • Recognition- Go around and have everyone recognize someone in the organization

  • Hi Fives- Gets everyone up, indicates we're a team and that the Meeting is OVER.