Fun and Engaging Team Building Ideas

2015-02-11T21:55:50-05:00

I hear a lot of talk about leadership. Building it, improving it, complaining about it. We talk about the benefits of the fresh faces to the military and how they have the opportunity to change the culture of the military and improve it.

I just recently started as a company commander, and believe very heavily in mentorship/development of subordinates, as well as the importance of taking care of your troops to continue their growth (both personally and professionally). I hope to foster that growth and encourage people to recognize when a Soldier is struggling, as well as recognition of a job well done.

However, when I look at most of the ideas, I can't help but cringe. The Master Resiliency Training program is a great idea, but I think is horridly warped in its execution by a large percentage of people. I for one do not want to stand in formation and sing "Kum ba yah" as we sway in formation. I will talk about my celebrations with some in my unit, but do not want to stand in front of a group and say "Yeah....so this is something good in my life." Trust falls and powerpoint presentations make my head hurt.

I am curious to see how others have approached the idea of building that "Military Family" and made it possible to be carried out in a method that fosters a camaraderie, but is still enjoyable to some. One thought was setting up an "after drill excursion" (since the training times are usually fairly full) that could include something such as a paintball event with teams (possibly even against the PL/PSG/1SG/CDR...who doesn't want a chance to make that happen?) so that they are required to communicate. It's SOMEWHAT military...and it's not "normal", so it could be a great experience.

Having a Family Day does work too, and the FRG is actually very well established and seems like they are willing to support...but historically, I've seen people that just watch their watches and hang out with the same 2-3 people in their unit without mixing at all.

What experiences have you had that you thought were creative and/or memorable and helped foster your Soldiers/etc to feel like they belonged as a part of the unit?
v/r,
CPT Butler

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 11 at 2015 10:02 PM

2015-02-11T22:02:02-05:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member, I know this might sound corny, but I'm a huge fan of professional reading programs. If you can get your troops involved and behind a reading program -- a book that you all read and discuss (at drill, for example) -- you've got something going. It may not include the entire military "family," but it could. Maybe books about deployments and families dealing with the separation.

For the military folks ... although they may push back and grumble about it ... I think a professional reading program has lots of potential, especially for your military personnel. And if you do it right, you could even include family members in the process.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2015 12:06 AM

2015-02-12T00:06:11-05:00

I think unit picnics are awesome. By picnic I mean outdoors in the sun on a Friday afternoon. It should be laid back and relaxed. It should be during the duty day. There should be some easy listening, not so loud background music. Family should be invited as well. Events at the picnic should include cornhole and tossing the pigskin. Just my two cents.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2015 12:21 AM

2015-02-12T00:21:03-05:00

The best FRG party I ever was at was this summer where even after formation we had families staying to play in the park and just relax and have fun. Now that is a sign of a successful event! When you let everyone sit wherever they want and they are introducing their families to each other and walking around having a good time that is a sign that your military family has developed prior to that event. In the past I have had AGR and MILTEC events where we went bowling or bocce ball/lawn bowling or just out for a BBQ. My full-time staff went golfing a few times and I know some full-time Soldiers in my battalion go fishing together and decide to hang outside of work. Once again I think these are a reflection of the bonding before the events.

The best way to bond is to go through something together. Push them to their limits, put them in the field and test them. Force them to work together and see what products you get at the end. This summer we had two construction projects that we had to crash (shorten the days we had to construct it so work longer hours) and though they were tired they worked safely and executed and made me a proud company commander. They were happy to be doing the job that they signed up to do and to be doing it with others. Construction is a great job to have as you have a final product to see at the end and you can point to it and say we did that. That is what helps my Soldiers bond. That is where they get to know each other and what makes them tick. That is what I rely on as a leader to have them be able to recognize if something is suddenly different and that is why SHARP and suicide prevention programs are so successful in units where the bonds are the closest.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2015 1:54 AM

2015-02-12T01:54:46-05:00

Sir - I will share with you what my commander and I did at the company level to build the team. I also tried to implement it at the battalion level but my battalion commander wasn't so great at it, nothing against him it was just the way he was.

Sorry for the Infantry terminology but it's all I know, you can translate it into whatever organization you have. The Army tells leaders that we are responsible for developing leaders two levels down and we mentor leaders one level down. To get the team to buy into your philosophy and vision you as a company commander need to focus at the squad leader level.

Company commanders always want to focus on their platoon leaders and you should mentor them but if you want to build the team you have to get the squad leaders to buy in. There are several ways to accomplish this.

Anytime you are issuing an OPORD or conducting TLPs your squad leaders should be present. Believe it or not some of them are very experienced and will have great input during the planning process. Conducting off-site training is another way to build the team. We would do it once a quarter to AAR the quarterly training and talk about the upcoming training, again having the squad leaders present for this allows them to have input and feel like part of the team. We usually went camping for the weekend, everybody brought coolers with food and beer (lots of beer) and we played sports and games along with discussing training. The audience was squad leader and above, this allowed for bonding at the platoon and company level.

At the battalion level we did it a couple times and it worked well but like I mentioned before it just wasn't in my commanders wheelhouse. This is a Soldier only event, no spouses or dependents. You can do the family days, balls, and stuff like that for the families but, once you have the Soldiers on board the families will follow.

Response by MSgt Michael Durkee made Feb 12 at 2015 9:10 AM

2015-02-12T09:10:20-05:00

As CW5 Private RallyPoint Member mentioned, professional reading and guided discussion can be great ways for team building. When the team not only participates, but also has the opportunity to contribute to future reading material, it gives them a sense of ownership.
I've instituted the same thing with my combined Civilian and Military integrated product teams (IPT). Our first launch was almost a year ago with The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Feb 12 at 2015 9:30 AM

2015-02-12T09:30:33-05:00

I know this sounds silly, but have you thought about setting up Mess Nights or Dining Ins?

For the most part our Service Members only get to get to go "formal" on the annual Ball. Mess Night is a great chance for the small unit to do something a little different, break out the Dress Uniform, and have a little fun.

Most Troops aren't big into "Mandatory Fun" but, I always looked forward to Mess Night.