In an age when finding time to meaningfully connect can feel challenging because we are so busy, it’s important to find quick ways to do this. There are five quick bits of information you need to know about your team.

With this information, you can easily and quickly show each team member that you are interested in their well-being and that they matter to you. It’s often the little things that matter the most.

While these little actions do not replace quality time and conversations, they can be sprinkled in throughout the year to surprise and delight your team. The great news is that none of these actions require a lot of time, yet because they are specific to each person, they are touching and thoughtful.

The first thing you need to do is gather some information from each team member and store it in a file. You can simply send an email to ask for this information OR you can create a shared document and ask everyone to complete it.  A shared file allows everyone access to this information so they can join in the fun of  brightening the day of others.

The list of questions:

1. When is your birthday (month and day only)?
2. What is your favorite treat or snack food?
3. What is your favorite color?
4. Which of the following would brighten your day the most? (Check all that apply)
   • Send me a nice note, email or text
   • Call me to check in
   • Bring me a small gift (specialty coffee, candy bar, plant, book)
   • Offer to take over a task that I’m struggling with
   • Take me to lunch
   • Take me out for happy hour
   • Other?
5. What is your favorite lunch spot?

You may want to add a few more questions, but the point is to gather some key information that will guide you in choosing a simple action that will make each team member feel special and recognized.

Once you have this information, you can put it to use in several ways.

Here are some ideas on how to use your team’s responses to the questions:

1. Mark your calendars with each person’s birthday and work anniversary.  Pay attention to what they like and do something to make them feel valued.
2. Gather everyone’s favorite treats and have them ready to dole out when you think someone needs a pick-me-up or to reward them for working hard.
3. Create a rotation schedule and do one small thing for each team member once a month or once a quarter.
4. Share the list and encourage the team to also look for ways to use this information to support each other. 
5. Over time add more questions to learn more about each other.

Summary

It’s often the little things that matter the most. Taking a few minutes to express appreciation, concern, or support leads to strong connections and builds trust. By gathering information about what matters most to each team member, you can customize your actions to make the biggest impact. 

About the Author: Leigh Ann Rodgers, Founder of Better Teams, Team Consultant Academy, and FORWARD, is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator with 20 years of experience in the human development field. Leigh Ann is a skilled meeting facilitator, trainer, and coach working across the globe to help leaders cultivate teams that are happy and high-performing.

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