Team building events NYC

I read an article last week in The New York Times which I think every boss should read as well: “No Time to Be Nice at Work.” The piece points to recent studies which suggest that mean bosses cause a ripple effect throughout the ranks, resulting not only in stress among staff but ultimately degrading the team’s output.

The author raises an interesting point, in that when bosses rely on power moves such as interrupting, insults and swearing, the logical result is that team members will do everything they can to avoid the wrath – which often means withholding vital information from the team, not volunteering to do anything, and essentially paralyzing the collaborative process. The ship is run tightly – stranglehold tight, in effect.

Workplace cultures are often defined from the top town, and as such the way colleagues treat one another is frequently a reflection of what they are experiencing from the bosses. Imagine, then, what an entire department or company which models the behavior described in the NYT article functions like. Is it as effective as it can be? Is output as high as it can be? Is revenue as robust as it can be?

Now, imagine a work environment where the opposite is true: the boss is firm yet courteous, in control but respectful. In such a workplace, staff feels more comfortable with one another, mutual trust is much higher, communication and collaboration are much healthier. The result? More effective and efficient teamwork, boosted sales, happier customers – and ultimately, more money to go around.

While every place is different and there is no “one size fits all” solution to making people work better together, I think we can all agree that people who are generally happier working with the boss and each other are going to do better work overall, as well as stick around longer. Click here to learn how team building events, NYC or elsewhere, can help foster an office environment which maximizes positive workplace skills, while eschewing the negative impact of more authoritarian management approaches.