A Team Activity to Share Accomplishments & Acknowledgements
A Team Activity to Share Accomplishments & Acknowledgements
Taking time as a team to share accomplishments and acknowledging supporting players increases self-worth for everyone involved. Often teams are so busy focused on reaching the goal, they forget to take time and celebrate the accomplishments, both big and small made along the way.
I recently witnessed Justin White, Manager of Human Rights & Gender Equality, Mars Inc., lead his extended team through an inspiring and upbeat team session during their week-long annual team offsite. In less than an hour, this team of 9 shared accomplishments and acknowledged each other. Smiles and pride filled the room.
Instructions for the team activity:
1. Ask each person to do the following independently:
- Write down at least 5-10 things they are proud of from the previous year. These can include personal and professional accomplishments – both big and small.
- For every accomplishment, write down the name(s) of the person(s) that helped that accomplishment come to fruition.
- Select three accomplishments to share with the team.
2. Each person then shares their accomplishments and recognizes people who were helpful along the way.
3. After sharing, each person writes a headline from the year that references the person/people who made it possible. These can be collected and shared with the team.
For example, Justin launches key industry report thanks to a group of champion Associates.
4. Time permitting, each person takes 5 minutes to write a note of gratitude to the person/people who supported their accomplishments. This can also become an assignment to do later.
Alternatives:
- Encourage people to complete step 1 before your session to save time and give people more time to think about their accomplishments.
- For step 4, pass out stationary and stamped envelopes or give people time to construct an email of appreciation to someone outside of the team on the spot.
- Encourage team members to acknowledge each other using certificates.
Summary:
Taking time to celebrate accomplishments and acknowledge supportive team members lifts the moods, increases satisfaction, and encourages teamwork. It doesn’t take long to facilitate a team building activity like this one, and it promises a strong return on investment.
About the Author: Leigh Ann Rodgers, Founder of Better Teams and the Forward, community, 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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