Why you should take your team on a field trip

Taking your team off-site can shake up the ordinary routine

Why you should take your team on a field trip

Sometimes, the office can be a difficult setting if you're trying bring an inspirational message to your team. The workplace is well-suited for delivering mundane instructions, computer training, and compliance updates. However, for more high-minded communication involving leadership development, cultivating a sense of purpose, or creating an organizational culture, a conference room inside your office is probably not the best place to deliver it.

In his book The Advantage, leadership expert Patrick Lencioni recommends taking your team out on a regular basis for an off-site meeting. Maybe you've gone on such retreats with church groups or other social groups you belong to, but have you ever done something like that in the workplace? Taking your team off site can shake up the ordinary routine and incline their ears to hearing something different.

To create a thriving workplace, your people must feel inspired. They've got to feel like the job is more than a job. Taking your team on a field trip can build that sense of togetherness and instill in them a consciousness of their common mission. You go could go anywhere -- a theme park, a nature preserve, a conference hall -- just as long as you get out of the office. Bring your people together in a place outside of work, and they'll come back to the office more energized than ever.