Jeopardy Team-Building

How can you combine team bonding, education, and training?

And laughs?? Lots of laughs!

Ryan McFarland, Service Desk Manager at Vertikal6 had a solution.

Every Friday he created questions to lead a Jeopardy game for his team of help desk techs.?

The winner got a $25 gift card, but that was not the primary motivation.?

The main draw was the friendly competition and laughter.

Here’s how he formulated the questions:? Ryan chose a different Client every week.?

He researched the Client’s recent tickets to develop 30 questions, plus one bonus question based on the actual services provided.

Ryan also developed three wrong answers for each of the 30 questions. ?This way instead of only a question being displayed for the contestants, the question plus four possible answers were revealed.?

His people loved it even more than traditional Jeopardy because they all could compete to choose the right answer first.

Yes, it takes some work.? However, Vertikal6 has an incredibly strong culture and building each other up while having fun is an essential ingredient.

Ryan loaded the questions and answers into www.playfactile.com, which provides a similar interface to the Jeopardy game show.?

This creates 6 columns with five questions each, ascending in value as you work your way down the column.?

The game typically takes 20-30 minutes and his team of millennials loved it.

Wouldn’t you?

Consider the benefits:

1. Everyone on the team learned more about a Client so they can serve them better.
2. Laughter and friendly rivalry bonded the group.
3. The leader (Ryan) set an example that having fun is encouraged when it’s positive, productive, and respectful.
4. The cost is $25 plus about two hours of someone’s time weekly to set it up.? (Researching some Clients takes longer.)
5. When Clients that have been the focus of the game call in for help, the service they receive is more consistently excellent and personal.

Vertikal6 continues to be a rapidly growing, highly successful, advanced IT solution provider.? They have doubled in size since we worked together a few years ago.?

The company has been recognized as a Best Place to Work in Rhode Island.

They provide superior services in their region because they get “the people” right (culture).

When we offered it, Vertikal6 sent every new manager through our Manage 2 Win Certified Leader program.? However, we are just a piece of their organizational success.?

Their leaders get the credit for their growth and culture.? It starts with Rick Norberg, the founder, who is a visionary.? Harry Curran, his right-hand man who runs operations, is a down-to-earth, humble leader.?

They hire carefully, give their leaders a lot of authority and opportunity, work diligently with their teams, and have built a culture where everyone embraces excellence.

You may not be able to match vertikal6’s growth rate or culture, but why not start with this game??

It’s a winner.

Laughter echoes in the halls of every great organization.

Why not yours?