We were delighted to host the Galbraith Building Consultancy team last week for 2 days of team development, facilitated by Wild Thinking.  The session was all about connection, collaboration, and fun — and what a mix of activities it was! The team kicked off with an exhilarating zipline adventure with G2 Outdoors, refuelled with delicious food from The Lunch Box Boys, and wrapped up with an engaging Everything DiSC session focused on building stronger, more effective relationships within the team.

It’s always inspiring to see how a change of environment — and a bit of adventure — can help teams think differently, communicate better, and grow together.

A huge thank you to our brilliant guests for bringing such great energy to The Railway Rooms. We got great feedback on the 12 ensuite rooms and our amazing meeting space.

Here’s to more days that bring learning, laughter, and connection together in one place! 🙌

We try to design our workshops around 5 pillars:

Get off on the right foot: Always include an attention-grabbing entry question that will get participants present, thinking and interacting. Could be on a board on the way in – thoughts on a card or a dot on a scale. Take time to discuss and reflect before you start the business of the day

Create a contract: The intended outcome (and specific output) of the workshop should be displayed prominently and referred to early in the session. Participants should be clear on why it matters and what success in the workshop will mean for the organisation, for their team and for them personally. What do they need from you as a facilitator to make this happen? How will they behave with each other? Have these conversations and record the key points 

Agree the underlying theme & bring something to the party: As you design the workshop, reflect on the key underlying theme. You may be creating a team charter or a business plan, but what is the learning & development theme that underpins proceedings? Is it better listening? Is it working more collaboratively? Agree the theme with the main client sponsor and come with something to share that will inject insight and energy in to the day. It could be a relevant TED talk or a model. If appropriate, consider including an experiential activity. Transfer the learning in to the context of the session – “How does this help us today?”

Coach the context givers – It is likely that some participants will need to share information with the group – figures, plans, reports, reviews etc. Make it your business to engage with them in advance of the session. Try to avoid long Powerpoint presentations that kill the energy in the room. How best can they put across their message? Pre-reads? Creative ideas? Exhibition style?

Open and closed modes – Create the agenda around questions that start open and expansive and then focus on specifics and action. The early stages should be open questions with an emphasis on creativity and generative listening and thinking. There should then be a clear change of clear at a key point in the day in to closed mode, with a focus on reaching alignment and clear next steps. The last hour should be devoted to harvesting actions and next steps.

The way we team is more important now than ever before. Read the latest report from Wiley to understand the challenges teams are facing today and how The Five Behaviors can be your solution. Then contact us at Wild Thinking to discuss how to build this into your team plan!

They make things, accomplish tasks, provide services, offer advice and try to achieve goals. Today, more and more companies are adjusting to the concept of hybrid teams that come in a variety of sizes and types. At Wild Thinking, we thought we’d share some team types that we have come across to help you navigate your day-to-day.

Functional Teams perform specific functions in an organisation. They include members from the same department or work area who meet regularly. A manager holds the primary responsibility, with subordinates reporting to this person. Often, these are permanent.

Cross-Functional Teams work across functions, or specialties, of the organisation bringing people with separate areas of expertise to work together; they are usually at about the same hierarchical level and can often make decisions without management. Often, these are temporary.

Leadership Teams take a strategic role in guiding business decisions. They are made up of leaders from varied departments. The goals of leadership teams are generally aligned with the mission and vision of the company.

Self-Directed (Managed) Teams operate without managers, and no one is in a position of authority. They are designed to give employees a feeling of empowerment and ownership of the job.

Task Forces are generally a cross-section of experts joined together to solve a well-defined and temporary assignment. They have a sense of autonomy and don’t need to constantly consult superiors to get things done.

Virtual Teams are comprised of members who are not located in the same physical place using technology and specific skills to achieve a common goal. They tend to be more task and project-oriented and less about social interaction.

Hybrid Teams are a flexible work structure where some employees work remotely, and other team members work from a central location or office. Hybrid team structures allow employees to decide whether they prefer an office environment or working from anywhere remotely.

At Wild Thinking, we think it’s a good idea for all teams to take time out together to consider how best to adjust and adapt to hybrid working in 2022.

We gel your group by engaging hearts and minds; that you can be a participant; that individuals won’t dominate discussions and that groups stay on topic generating clear follow-up.  Let us help you plan some team-together time in 2022.

Someone who helps a group to work together to get better results. We are there to create an environment where people can show up at their best. We do this by focusing on the process, not on the actual content of the conversation. We leave that bit to you!