In the professional sphere of life, one almost always finds himself or herself working as part of a team. When it comes to managerial professions, a manager’s need to imbibe and exhibit the skills of team-building is ever-present.

When individuals with similar interests, approaches, and tastes come together to work for a common goal, a team is formed. Team building refers to the various events and activities that are taken up to motivate the team members and increase the effectiveness and overall performance of the team. One just can’t expect their team to perform on their own. A motivating factor is a must. Team Building activities consist of various tasks undertaken to groom a team member, motivate him or her and make him or her perform his or her best.

Here are a few reasons why team building is very crucial in the professional world.

Better Communication and Performance

Everybody wants a friendly work environment, where people are comfortable and happy to talk to and work with anyone. One of the best reasons for team building is that the activities actually work to accomplish improved communication and thereby, better cooperative performance.

Collaboration and Promotion of Innovation and Creativity

People tend to have a larger imagination when they are around people, they are comfortable with. Successful team building activities not only bring people closer together, but they also contribute to a more successful and creative workplace.

Teamwork and Enhancing Team Performance

Team building activities also work to improve workplace projects that involve teamwork because it helps the teams understand each other better. After completing team building activities together, employees better understand each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests. This understanding helps them work even better together in the future.

Here are a few team-building skills that every manager should possess to ensure success in their endeavors.

Good Communication Skills   

Without communication, a team is non-existent. Good communication skills are absolutely crucial for effective teamwork and a stronger team. Examples of good communication skills are verbal and non-verbal communication skills, patience, care, etc.

Active Listening and Attentiveness     

Listening skills are absolutely necessary in order to undertake team building. To build a team you have to understand other team member’s needs, beliefs, problems, expectations etc. This can be achieved only by actively listening, paying attention and caring for the other team members.

Collaborative Skills     

To collaborate with many people is a really difficult task, but is highly required to achieve successful teamwork. That is why collaborative skills are key team-building skills on our list. Effective team means a great team that can collaborate on any terms.

Building Confidence   

This is an absolutely critical ability among the team building and team leader skills. Confidence keeps a team together. It promotes support and reliability. No matter whether you are a team manager, leader or employee, you have to be confident. To be confident means that people can rely on you and can trust you.

Creativity and Idea Exchange  

Creativity is a characteristic of every good and effective team. Creative thinking is the most important factor for future success. Every team should have a suitable environment for idea exchange. Members have to share and develop ideas. Idea exchange and creativity are key team-building skills.

Being Reliable and Supportive

There is no team without support. Team members have to support each other and have to rely on each other. These are the main building elements of a team. So being supportive also has a key place in the team-building skills list.

Problem-Solving Skills

In every team there are problems. No matter whether you are a team manager or an employee, you have to learn to deal with conflicts in the most effective way without causing as little collateral damage as possible.

Published in the monthly bulletin October 2019 issue of The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI)