The I AM Teambuilding Exercise That is a Game Changer?
A few years ago I ran an experiment. I was leading a team of about 30 employees inside a chemical plant. We used to meet once a month for a safety and status meeting.
During our meetings we would discuss safety and performance but I would also do a presentation on some topic. Most of the topics were self-help or leadership related.
I got an idea that our team should write a book together. During one of those meetings I presented the idea and offered a suggestion. Each person should come up with 26 positive words/labels to describe themselves. The 26 words should be based on the alphabet and fit the I am X format.
I then shared my 26 words with the team
and offered a form on which they are to record their words and turn it in next time. In addition to the 26 words, they were to pick one of their words and write a short moving story as to what that word meant to them.
For example, my A word is I am ADAPTIVE and if that is my favorite of the 26 words I would write a positive story as to why I am adaptive.
Next month most people turned in their words and only a few people turned in their stories.
Hummmm…
What happened next was surprising. When I went through each person’s words I noticed a significant pattern that disturbed me. These were suppose to be positive words that you would use to describe yourself or your future self. Most people had a few negative words imbedded in the 26 words.
I brought this up and all I got was shrugs. Some did not see the negativity behind the words that they had chosen.
The words we use to describe ourselves are very important. They should be aspirational and speak to our better selves. We might not be X at this moment BUT we want to be X.
At about that time our team got diverted from this group project and we never finished it. I regret that I never followed up and had the group complete the project.
Hopefully a leader with a large team would take on this challenge and complete a book with their team. I believe it will bring pride to the team and bring the team closer. In these Covid times, it might be a wonderful exercise to do to build team morale and self-knowledge.
What are my 26 words?
I am Adaptive
I am Bold
I am Confident
I am Disciplined
I am Elegant
I am Focused
I am Gentle
I am Humble
I am Inspirational
I am Joyful
I am Kind
I am Loving
I am Nurturing
I am Opportunistic
I am Persistent
I am Quiet
I am Resilient
I am Silent
I am Tenacious
I am Underdog
I am Victorious
I am Wonderful
I am NOT a Xerox copy
I am Youthful
I am Zestful
Each day I focus and live it as true one of these words as my theme for the day.
My two cents…(this is what I earned from Medium.com in October 2020)
I got to go…my future self alarm went off
Robert Trajkovski is professional with experience in leading people and projects in Steel/ Power, Refining, Chemicals, Industrial Gasses, Software, Consulting and Academia. He has worked for both owners and engineering companies. In addition, he has instructed 73+ courses at several institutions and often offers his courses for free on LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberttrajkovski/
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