Team Building Creates Strong Bonds Which Lead to More Successful Business Outcomes

Have you ever sat down to a meal at a large table? You probably don't know everyone there and sometimes it feels better to remain quiet and polite than ask a bunch of near strangers to pass you down the salt.

Will they judge you for choosing to harden your arteries or begrudge you the interruption to their own meal? Or perhaps the person next to you also wants some salt but was too shy to ask.. Now imagine that this large table is in your lunch room at work. How many people in your business would ask you to pass the salt?

We spend approximately one-third of our lives in the workplace, or worse, more than half the time we are awake each day - at work. Yet there are people who work at a desk 12 feet away that we barely know. Do you consider your workplace a team environment? You are all working towards the same outcome, right? So how can you be a team if you're unsure as to whether you should ask for some salt?

Team building activities are a practise often carried out by large corporations to squeeze every possible drop out of salaried employees. But did you know that team building activities are also deployed by sporting teams before a season starts? Or by religious groups before delivering a new message?

The reason that all kinds of groups engage in dedicated team building activities is because strong bonds produce more successful outcomes. Small businesses are the ones that benefit most from having a truly cohesive staff group. There always seems to be more at stake, more passion and bigger 'disasters' in small business environments.

The benefits of guided team building include:

*Creating a culture of trust
* Much better communication
* An increase in efficiency
* Greater awareness of the impact each individual has on another
* Communal support
* Expansion of thinking and ideas base

Having hosted many Team Building nights/days, I have seen near strangers discover common interests such as cooking, reading, wine and even favourite sports teams. These discoveries begin to break down the 'colleague' barriers and show people that you work with your more 'human' side.

Another top Team Building activity is group art classes. As well as learning new skills, participants get to show their creative side, all the while nattering with their colleagues about, colour, shape, inspiration and interests. There are literally hundreds of organise team building activities, groups and consultants out there - so go and find one that suits you. And your team!

Catherine Whelan is a small business consultant who focuses on small business growth. After years in corporate Australia, Catherine decided to turn her big business knowledge into a resource for helping small businesses compete for greater market share.

Catherine now keeps abreast of small business trends in Australia and overseas, delivering relevant, timely and up to date information to her small business clients.

For more see: [http://www.wanttobebigger.com]