How to close the year in a positive way with your team

The end of the year is often the busiest time of the year for my clients: there are goals to reach, deadlines to meet, new people to welcome and so much more. All that work and then … the break.?

Going from work, work, work to a break right away, means there is no buffer moment for people in your team to relax, slow down and breathe. And when that doesn’t happen your people start their breaks more tired, they rush towards it and they feel burned out. On top of that, when January is approaching, a dreadful feeling of wanting more time to rest and less time at work starts creeping in.?

In the end, everyone has to go back to work but they won’t necessarily have the energy required to give 100%, to feel motivated and happy.?

What a depressing picture I painted, right??

I get it, we need to meet deadlines, reach goals, and welcome new people. It’s a stressful time. But I also know you value the reasons why you do that, you value the humanity in your team and their wellbeing.?

This is why I want to give you three ideas for lifting your team up, energizing them, and getting them ready for the new year.?

Three activities you can do to end the year in a positive way with your team

1) Listening sessions?

In my practice, I call them Storytelling Circle. They are conversations with your team, often facilitated, where everyone shares the stories from the past year: the good, the bad, and the unknown. When clients do these listening sessions with me, they are given prompts to start a conversation and then everyone shares a vision for the upcoming year. Listening sessions are great if you only have 60 to 90 minutes available and your team has fewer than 20 people.?

2) Team Bonding Day

With all the work going on, it’s easy to lose focus on what keeps you together as a team. Having a fun and engaging team bonding day gives you the chance to reconnect with each other, share and plan for the coming year. Team bonding days don’t necessarily need to be about drinking or eating out, there are ways to connect on a deeper level (call me and I’ll share some other ideas). Team bonding days are a good option if you have three to four hours available and your team is up to 50 people.?

3) Leadership speech

There is nothing like listening to your leader narrating the successes, the challenges, and the upcoming activities to the rest of the company. It’s a bonding experience if done in the right way and if it is followed by actions. Speeches are great if you have 45 to 60 minutes at your disposal and you are speaking to more than 50 people.?

The end of the year is approaching and now is the time to consider what your team needs. Which activity would suit your team best??

WHAT TO DO NEXT:

• Message me to share how is the energy level of your team in this Q4
• Select one of the activities based on how much time you have and how big is your team?
• Call me to organise an activity that will make your team more energised, focused and motivated

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Companies built on stories?is a newsletter for internal communicators, HR, and People and Culture professionals where we share how to use stories to effectively share purpose and increase companies' productivity. It is written and published by?Beatrice Ngalula Kabutakapua, a business storytelling coach who partners with international companies to increase employee engagement through stories. Beatrice is now training HR professionals and internal communicators on how to communicate company values through stories. She is also supporting ERG members in gaining the right skills they need to positively influence their company. You can catch Beatrice talking about business storytelling on?BBC and Talk Radio?or on her podcast?thank god it's monday. Connect to Beatrice on?LinkedIn?and?schedule a call with her.