The BEST Moves
Be First at the Table
For managers stepping up to lead. A give-back in your first months shows your team what you care about faster than a speech does.
3 min read The move is free From 10 Business Scenarios
How to run it
You can do all of this yourself, on Monday, without calling anybody.
Ask your team which cause is close to them.
Do not guess, and do not pick your own. Someone on the team has a parent in treatment, a child who was in the hospital, a food bank they already give to. The cause that is already theirs is the one that will matter.
Put two hours on the calendar, during work time.
A give-back that happens on a weekday afternoon is something the company gave. The same event on a Saturday is something you asked for.
Do the work with them.
Pack, carry, tape boxes. Stand at the table, not at the front of the room. Skip the speech.
Let the charity say the thank-you.
When someone from the receiving organization tells the room what the donation means, it lands in a way a manager cannot make it land. Invite them and give them the last word.
Watch out: Never after hours, and never optional. Both read as a favor to you rather than something you are doing for the team.
Why it works
The mechanism, not the marketing.
A new manager is being read from the first week: what do they care about, and do they care about us. Slides and a kickoff talk answer neither question. Two hours of working next to the team for a cause the team chose answers both, because people watch what you do with your hands and your calendar. Handing the thank-you to the charity keeps the moment about the people being helped, which is what makes the team proud of it.
“If one of the first things management does when formulating new teams is to demonstrate they’re willing to have fun with the employees and do so in a way where there’s outreach to a local cause or nonprofit, that goes a long way in showing people they have a heart; they care about their employees, and they care about the broader community.”
Best Corporate Events, in 10 Business Scenarios Where Team Building Leads to Success (p. 15)
Why charity programs fit times of change
Corporate social responsibility programs are very impactful during organizational change, because of what they say about the new leadership.
10 Business Scenarios (p. 15)
Where this move came from
Or take the whole book.
10 Business Scenarios Where Team Building Leads to Success
Ten common business situations, the programs that fit each, and Roy’s notes throughout.
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Activities that do this for you
If you would rather not run it yourself, these are built around the same job.
