3 TEAM BUILDING

3 Team Building Exercises to Revitalize Momentum in the Office

A positive team dynamic can transform an average office into a powerhouse lineup. Likewise, a healthy in-office atmosphere translates to boosted productivity, while clients sense an environment brimming with positivity and support. Just as professional self-development is an essential ingredient to a dynamic career, the development of a team is indispensable to long-term growth and success. So, how do you create a platform for office members to combine their energies and talents for the better? For starters, add these team-building exercises to your repertoire to inspire natural comradery and momentum in your workplace.

Dream Big, Together

If team members aren’t challenged, productivity stagnates and the office loses steam. The same can

If team members aren’t challenged, productivity stagnates and the office loses steam. The same can happen if employees don’t believe their voice is being heard or taken seriously.

happen if employees don’t believe their voice is being heard or taken seriously. How should a leader compensate? To curtail negativity and bring a breath of fresh air into the office, give team members a platform to think big, no questions asked. Before your next office-wide meeting, devote a half-hour to visionary thinking. Ask each member of your team to write privately for ten minutes, considering what if scenarios regarding their current roles, career aspirations, and the office’s culture. What do they wish was different? How might things be streamlined? What skills do they wish they possessed? Encourage team members to be imaginative and wrestle with the hurdles or questions they’ve been grappling with. When time is up, split employees into smaller breakout groups and allow them to share their thoughts with one another. Not only will this ignite thoughtful discussion, but it will also allow team members the chance to brainstorm creatively, while articulating their ideas and visions for the road ahead.

Lend a Hand

If in-office team-building activities aren’t your style, consider service-oriented excursions that bring office staff together and benefit a worthy cause. In the real estate field, there are countless housing-related organizations to which your office can donate their time and energies. For instance, Habitat for a Humanity constructs homes for those in need using amateur volunteers, while there are nationwide projects that support housing relief for military veterans. The scope of your service commitment can also vary—from a dedicated day hammering away at a new home, to sponsoring a golf tournament benefitting area organizations. Either way, service projects unite your team’s energies, afford employees a refreshing change of pace, and positively impact your community.

When All Else Fails, Keep it Light

Sometimes team members need to blow off steam to avoid office burnout. One way to combat low energy is bring team members together for a lighthearted game. Try office-themed trivia: come up with thirty trivia questions based on your office, then divide team members into competing groups. Encourage groups to think up team names, and organize trivia questions into themed categories. Remember to award fun prizes to create a light incentive. A healthy sense of competition revolving around silly subject matter can get team members loosened up and working together. Concoct questions of moderate difficulty that speak to people’s common ground. For instance, how many tiles are in the office kitchen? Or, how many doors can be found in the office? These questions are light and won’t create any real tension, but will allow a reframing of a stuffy office into a collective home base. Plus, it’ll keep your next holiday party lively.

Team-building is an important form of routine maintenance, whose benefits shouldn’t be overlooked. Whatever activity you land on, the overarching idea is to nudge team members beyond their comfortable routines and come together in a new way. At the end of the day, you’ll boost your business, office morale, and colleagues in the process.

MELISSA ZUPNER MONTGOMERY

Having worked in the real estate industry for 15 years, Melissa Zupner Montgomery has grown her business into a recognizable brand all across the Island of Maui in Hawaii. She currently ranks in the Top 5% of Real Estate Agents on Maui and is a Certified Residential Specialist for the area. Melissa works primarily (or has worked primarily) as a solo agent and focuses her efforts on the South & North Shores of the Island, as well as Central Maui. She strives to create amazing friendships with her clientele to keep them coming back and concentrates heavily on referral business which consumes a large portion of her real estate deals.

Melissa goes all out to stay connected with her clients, keeping them in-tune throughout each step of the transaction and making sure to maintain a high-level of customer service in every deal. “Staying in touch has been really important in keeping my clients coming back and referring me to others,” she says. “I’m always available and give them a really high level of service.” She finds it super important to educate her clients and make sure they are clear as to what’s going on during the process in order for them to remain informed. She utilizes social media advertising, through platforms like Instagram, to help connect with her clients on both a personal and professional level. Seeing as a lot of her clients don’t live in Hawaii year-round (simply buying 2nd or 3rd homes to escape to on the Island), she loves to use social media to stay in touch and market to those who may be out of state. In fact, networking with numerous agents in various cities throughout the U.S. and beyond has led to good growth in referral business for Melissa in recent years. sales,” which details just how well Melissa knows the area of Maui, and the true value of property on the Island. Another review states, “I do not reside in the state so it was a blessing that Melissa was able to skillfully orchestrate cleaning, touchup and repairs to prepare the unit for sale. Once ready for sale, she provided me with a balanced market analysis that allowed us to come up with a good strategy enabling the sale to be completed in a relatively short period of time.”

When Melissa isn’t working, she’s a member of the MLS Committee at the Realtors Association of Maui and is fond of volunteering for various charities, including ‘Wishing Well,’ which is an organization that helps schools give extra supplies to kids in need. During any free time, you can find Melissa playing a round of golf or simply enjoying the beautiful beaches that the Island of Maui has to offer.

At the end of the day, Melissa truly loves helping people and feels rewarded when she is able to exceed her clients’ expectations. “I’m dedicated to professionalism and integrity, and aim to provide the highest level of service to my clients.”

Melissa’s energetic and creative approach to real estate, alongside her undivided attention to clients has led to plenty of 5-star reviews from satisfied homeowners over the years. One client points out, “Her responsiveness is second to none. Melissa accepted the daunting task of selling my peculiar home. Her marketing and advertising skills are honed and she is an expert in Maui property For more about Melissa Zupner Montgomery, please call 808-281-1751 or email MelOnMaui@gmail.com

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