Do it When you want to make a better relationship. This idea is closely connected to your private life. Since every businessman has a strong urge to balance his private and business life, this idea would affect your business life.The idea is to turn off your cell phone once in a week. Let’s say it would be Sunday. Make an agreement with your partner to turn off cell phones for whole Sunday. Can you survive it? If you can succeed in it, I would like to congratulate you. This little idea could affect your business life and improve your relationship with your partner. And when you improve your relationship…, anything is possible. 🙂 Remember, what your Bikram Choudhury said: “Never too old, never too bad, never too late, never too sick to start from scratch once again.”
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Just imagine your perfect relationship with your partner. What does it look like?
2. How do you describe this relationship in one sentence?
3. What would be the time frame for this goal?
4. Why is this goal important to you?
5. Who would you be when you reach that goal?
6. Why is that … Read more
Idea #59 What are Characteristics of your Team?
Do it When you want to make a team building. Divide your team in the groups of three. Give them the same task. Imagine that your team is represented with an animal, but that animal has to be the combination of three animals with one characteristic from each one. For example, we are as brave as a tiger, with the speed of an antelope and we are strong like an elephant. Now each group should draw its animal as a group logo. All three members of the group should draw at the same time. At the end make presentations and discussions. Remind them of this quote: “What we need to do is learn to work in the system, by which I mean that everybody, every team, every platform, every division, every component is there not for individual competitive profit or recognition, but for contribution to the system as a whole on a win-win basis.” – W. Edward Deming
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that for solving your main company problem you should develop three characteristics. Name all 3 of them?
2. What does the solution to this problem mean to you?
3. How would you know … Read more
Idea #57 Handprints after 3 years in Company
Do it When you want to establish company values. Establish a book where all employees, after 3 years in company will post their handprints. On the same page each one of them will write in one sentence his/her advice to someone who is entering company. Handprints are something very personal so everyone will be glad to leave his/her marks for someone that will come after them.
As the great Marcus Tullius Cicero said: “The life of the dead is set in the memory of the living.”
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. What will be the advice that you would like to write under your handprints?
2. According to that advice what would be the goal for this session?
3. What values are the most important for reaching that goal?
4. On a scale from 1 to 10 how important is to you to live under those values?
5. What would your colleagues benefit from your values?
6. How would you implement your goal?
7. What obstacles would you overcome?
8. Explain how you have overcome each obstacle in 5 sentences?
9. When was the first sight that you are on the right tracks?
10. When you have finished … Read more
Idea #42 Support hand made
Do it when you discuss company values with employees. Connecting company values with values of each employee is important for supporting their motivation. Nowadays everyone has laptop. And we all carry them in laptop bags. So ask participants how your company lap top bag will look like. Ask them to draw it on a flip chart. Then to make presentation and talk about values that are represented with drawing.
Now it is your time to surprise your employee. Make arrangement with local women group to make laptop bags from drawings. I did it with Marija Hand Made and now I have privilege to enjoy this beautiful laptop bag.
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that your laptop bag is your company brochure. What it tells about you?
2. Why do you exist as company?
3. How do you serve your country?
4. Who else is gaining benefit from your company?
5. How will scale your service from 1 to 10?
6. What can you do to make your service even more beneficial?
7. How will you make a system that will guide you through servicing others?
8. Write your full action plan. What will be the time … Read more
Idea #33 Remember details like Napoleon
Do it when you have to develop participants’ management of details. Napoleon was genius of military tactics and strategy. One of his core values was his brilliant management of details. He never forgot a single point of advantage. He has remembered every soldier, river, stream, mountain, hill, valley, and ravine down in his mental note book. Let’s see why and how we are going to develop similar skill in our business. Each one in our group has to create a mental picture of one of our customer. Write down as much as possible data about him (name, address, company, age, gander …). Now we can go deeper in Master details. Explain his/her look, color of hair, eyes, any characteristics, what he/she likes, favorite product, his/her family, favorite places…). When you finish there is even deeper level. Subordinate Details which means detailed look of his/her office, accent, details in body language, characteristic words that are used, changing of skin brightness, changing in voice, changing in tempo…) Lets count how many you have counted in each column.
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that your core value is brilliant management of details, like Napoleon’s. In which area of your … Read more
Idea #29 You last day at office
Do it When you want to bust morale among employees.
Everyone has to imagine that this is his/her last day at office. But not that way, most people are afraid. A long time form now, they are going to retirement. Each one will receive golden watch. On the back of the watch 3 words are engraved. Obviously those 3 words will be summary of his/her previous work in the company. Invite all of them to write his/her 3 words and to put them in one sentence. Good beginning of that sentence will be: “I want to be remembered in this company as person who was: __________, __________ and ____________. “
Tell them that by Changing their values, they can change their lives!
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that your child (children) are coming to visit your company 5 years from your last day in that company. They met on of your employees. What would he/she said about you?
2. Lets imagine he/she will have to scale all your skills from 1 to 10. What mark would you got?
3. Why you have deserved such high grade?
4. What would be the week point?
5. What would be … Read more
Idea #27 Your office library
Do it When you want to make your employees to learn for a lifetime. In every office there is a library, because every employee has to learn.
As great Peter Drucker said: “We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.” This game you can play with your team, but also this library can be for real.
Your team has to make drawing of library that will represent your company. Everyone has to participate and to explain what is so special and unique for your company.
At the end send drawing to the carpenter and you will have special library that every employee will be glad to read.
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that solution to your main company problem is in one of your books in your library. What is it?
2. Why is solving that problem so important to you?
3. On which book shelf is that book?
4. What is the name of that book?
5. Turn the last page, where usually are all answers?
6. What is the first answer to that question?
7. What … Read more
Idea #26 Firm as this stone
Do it When you want quickly to introduce all participants, and make them think about their characteristics. Give the basket with stones to the participants. Everyone has to take one stone and keep it in his hand. After that one by one each person has to say: 1) His name 2) His job position and the most importantly 3) His main good characteristic. He will do that by saying: “My enthusiasm is firm like this stone!”
After this introduction you can ask them questions like: “How each of those characteristics can be useful to our team or that training?”
Coaching questions for you are:
1. You have to take one stone and keep it all your life remembering about your most important good characteristic. What is it?
2. Knowing that you have that characteristic, what are the other 2 good characteristics that you also posses and maybe you are not so aware about them?
3. Now when you have those 3 characteristics, choose some area of your life, and some specific goal where you can use them. What is that goal?
4. How important on a scale from 1 to 10 is completing that goal?
5. Why is … Read more
Idea #18 Make Your Team Rules
Do it When you motivate your team or during team building. Nobody likes rules.
That’s because rules are limitations that someone else is putting on us.
That is so demotivating. But rules are necessary for doing business.
Without them we would be in anarchy. So lets turn it around.
Ask them to write down 10 rules that are so important for them on the job.
Then one by one has to say his 10 rules and someone is writing on the flip chart. Obviously, some of the rules are gonna be said several times. Just count it like votes.
At the end you will have 10 rules or you can narrow to 5 rules that are confirmed by all of them. Those rules are your company values and can be easily transferred into company mission.
Now coaching questions for you?
Imagine that you have to make your life according to 3 rules.
1. What would you choose?
2. What sort of person would you be if you obey those 3 rules?
3. Who else would benefit then?
4. Why is this important to you?
5. What will be your next steps?
Write down on comments or if it is more … Read more
Idea #10 Little notebook that boosts your Self Awareness
Do it When you want to boost your Self Awareness.
This is a tool from my friend Master ZI which I have implemented in my life several years ago. As good friend of mine he can coach me whenever I am looking for some answers in my life. But he has taught me how I can coach myself every day.
All we need is a nice small notebook.
On the first page you will write 2 questions:
1. What have I done today that makes me proud?
2. Which one of my virtues helped me to succeed in that?
Every night before you go to bed just shortly answer those 2 questions.
In a month you will have written proof how good you are. What have you accomplished, and what nice virtues you have.
Whenever you are in some doubts about your Capabilities and Self Awareness just read the notebook 😉
This is really great, but only if you are persistent to write down whenever you go to sleep and you are proud of something you have done.
So in the morning be sure that you will do something that will make you proud to your dairy. Now questions for … Read more
Idea #9 Your Company Island is waiting Sir…
Do it When you want to think about recycling and during team building.
Maybe you have heard of Richie Sowa, a man who built his own floating island. Important thing is that island is made from old plastic bottles. Making something useful Richie has recycled something that was planned to be trash.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvn9l1pJ3-A[/youtube]
Now, inspired with movie let’s see how we can make the similar. Your company for sure deserves an island. If you have no lake (or license) to build it, you can make an island at your backyard. It doesn’t have to be by 250,000 bottles, but use as many as possible. Make a small island, just for your team. You are not allowed to buy anything in the store for making it. Just collect things that you normally throw away. When you finish your company island make discussion.
What have you learned during this event?
What was important for each of us during this event?
What else might be a good idea for growing your island?
Come aboard on your island, have fun 🙂 and make a picture.
Idea #7 What are the Colors of your Team?
Do it When you want to connect your people during team building.
Usually people immediately recognise what is different between them. Someone said: “If there is 99% equality and 1% difference people will put there focus ion that 1 %”. Now in your team you are going to make the right way. All people in team will bond together.
First you will give a colored pencil to each member of your team. Now they have to pair up with someone whose pencil is similar color to their own. In pairs they will discuss for 3 minutes what are there personal similarities. Now they will find someone with pencil with very different color. For 3 minutes they will in pairs discuss what are differences among them. At the end your team will join chairs in circle. Making rainbow of colors, and each one will say
what he has discovered from the person that they have in common,
and what from person that are different?
How our team will benefit from our similarities and
how from differences?
You can put your comments on flip chart, picture it and make poster.
Please, sent it to us 🙂
Idea #6 Hey, is this your company Snowman?
Do it When you want to connect your people, talk about strategy, values and image, during team building.
Making snowman is very educational game. People have been making things in their images, and then materialising that for a long time.
If you see children playing in the Winter, usually they will have a snowball fight from behind snow walls. But making snowman is something very different.
In fighting, someone has to win and the other has to loose. In making snowman, children are joining forces to make something productive. Something that will last for several days. On the top of that, it is easy and fun 🙂 to make a snowman.
Knowing that, here is a new task for your group. You have to make a snowman.
But, your snowman is the special one. It will represent your company. Remember, you are now allowed to use your company logo, flag or write name of your company.
Still everyone that will pass by, will be clear that it is your snowman.
Discuss among your group.
What is so unique in your company that everyone will recognise?
What else you can do so you can be even more unique?
When you
… Read more But, your snowman is the special one. It will represent your company. Remember, you are now allowed to use your company logo, flag or write name of your company.
Still everyone that will pass by, will be clear that it is your snowman.
Discuss among your group.
What is so unique in your company that everyone will recognise?
What else you can do so you can be even more unique?
When you
Idea #4 Company Logo from Values
Do it When you want to connect their values with values of the company.
Company values are something much more than a poster on the office wall. It is our life guidance, and if our company values are different from our personal values, we are in the wrong company, living a miserable life.
So, let`s start with drawing a company logo on the white board. The logo has to be big, so there will be enough space for posting yellow or colored tags. Each person has to write a value that is important to him and post it on the company logo.
When everyone has posted his value, people will start voting for those values. The value with more votes will be posted higher on the logo.
In the end you will have a company logo made from your real values. Take a picture and send to all of your employees and/or frame it at work and place it in some premises important to them.
Coaching questions:
1. What 3 values are you looking for in your career?
2. Why are those values important to you?
3. For each value, how satisfied are you on the scale from 1 … Read more
Idea #3 Chess as Your Corporate Gift
Do it When you want to make a really special company gift or during Team building when you want your team members to have a fun and think about the company strategy.
The history of chess spans some 1500 years. The earliest predecessors of the game originated in India, before the 6th century AD. A lot of business people play chess.
At least we are all familiar with the pieces used in chess.
King, queen, bishop, knight, rook and pawn. So, there are 6 different pieces for showing your creativity. Choose 6 your products and use them for all 6 pieces. Even if you don’t make a real corporate gift, you can use this example on your team building while discussing importance of each product.
1. Which one is major and the company will not survive without it (king)?
2. Which one is the most valuable on the market (queen)?
3. Which one is the cheapest product, available in every store and generates a profit everywhere (pawn)?
Encourage every idea that your colleagues will brainstorm. Good luck!
Idea #2 Hidden symbol in your Logo
Do it During Team building when you want your team members to think thoroughly about your company mission or when you want to send a subliminal message with your logo.
Companies have had logos for decades. Logo represents more than just a company`s name in some nice letters. It represents values, and how a company wants to be seen in the eyes of customers. It is image. Amazon obviously wants to be seen as someone offering from A to Z. Right? So just look at their logo. An arrow is starting from the letter A and ends at Z. On the top of that the arrow makes a smile. Great, because it is not obviously.
Let`s see Federal Express logo. It also has an arrow that you can see between the E and the X. What values does an arrow represent? Obviously it is speed and precision, which is excellent for a shipping company.
Now it is your turn. Take a logo of your company and put a hidden symbol in it.
It has to represent some of your values.
1. What are your most important values?
2. Where are they already hidden?
3. What is the … Read more