A recent survey by Zippia showed that employee engagement increases by 48% with a gamified work experience. Furthermore, their data analysis team showed that

Companies that use gamification are seven times more profitable than those that do not use gamified elements at work—whether with employees or consumers. 

Studies show that these gamified initiatives have increased workplace engagement by 48%. What’s more, 72% of workers report feeling motivated to work harder, and gamification has been demonstrated to boost employee productivity by 90%.

Here at Optimist, we have long since been incorporating games as one of our methods in leadership development, and with the slew of recent articles on engagement out there, we thought we’d share how gamification can be a game-changer in building teams that are not only inclusive but high-performing. So, let’s delve into some key insights and uncover some secrets to levelling up your team. 

Resource: Financesonline.com

1. 1. 1. Gamification and Collaboration: Incorporating game elements into workplace activities promotes collaboration by fostering healthy competition and teamwork. They lead to improved communication and collaboration among team members.
      2. Boosting Engagement: Gamification can enhance employee engagement by making tasks more enjoyable and rewarding. Elements, such as leaderboards or rewards systems, can motivate team members to go the extra mile.
      3. Creating an Inclusive Culture: Gamification plays a role in building an inclusive work culture. Game-based approaches can break down barriers, encourage diverse perspectives, and create a sense of belonging among team members.

As you can see, gamification is not just about making work more enjoyable; it’s a powerful tool for building inclusive and high-performing teams.

Perhaps this is why 87% of businesses are projected to utilise gamified techniques in the next five years. Half of these companies will also consider gamification as a top priority. By incorporating game elements into everyday tasks, organizations can tap into the inherent human desire for achievement, recognition, and collaboration. Of course, the journey to lasting behavioural change starts with a strategic approach to gamification amongst many other tools. 

Are you ready to level up your team? Let’s explore the Optimist journey that’s best for your teams.

And be sure to sign up for our Optimist Newsletter, as this week we share some gamification ideas to try with your team!

What are you waiting for?

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We are all different, which means we all have different styles of communication, and while this may seem obvious, more often than not, it is the root cause of many team challenges. The reality is that knowing something and applying it in our day-to-day lives are two very different things. 

From individual knowledge to group understanding 

Knowledge is power, as they say, but shared knowledge and understanding is where the magic really happens. We have seen this both within our team at Optimist Performance and with our clients. 

Diagnostic profiles are quite popular, and you can find opinions both pro and against them, but as always, the most important aspect is how you use them. If you want to put people in boxes, then you are going about it the wrong way. As we said before, every person is different and many nuances play a part. 

However, there is a lot you can learn from these profiles and even more from sharing and discussing your findings with the rest of your team. We have shared ours within the team and it has not only been eye-opening, but it has also changed the way we work together and how we communicate with each other. 

Different styles of communication in the workplace 

Can you identify yourself and your colleagues?

You can also read more about the different styles of communication in the workplace here.

These bullet points will give you an idea of the different styles of communication in the workplace. Again, this is not about putting people in boxes, but rather about understanding our own and others’ preferences. 

Why is it important and how can you use it in the workplace?

Awareness is always the first step towards improvement. Really understanding our own and others’ styles of communication can have a big impact on our relationships. This understanding can change the lens through which we look at others, making us more empathetic. 

Adapt and gain. If you know how the person in front of you prefers to communicate, you can adapt your communication style to build rapport and get their buy-in.

Make meetings more effective. Knowing the different styles of communication can help to redefine your meetings. Something we do at Optimist Performance is to schedule the type of meeting we are having. Is this a yellow (creative) meeting? Or do we need a blue (detailed-oriented) meeting? Knowing in advance what to expect can enhance the focus and effectiveness of meetings. It can be really useful to frame the overall style and focus of the meeting.

Enhance feedback. You can apply what you know about the other person’s style of communication to improve the quality of your feedback. For example, if you are giving feedback to a person with an analytical preference, you know you will need to be more specific and know all your facts for your feedback to be effective. When dealing with a direct type, better not to beat around the bush and be straightforward and concise. 

Avoid misunderstandings. Surely we can all relate to having had a communication misunderstanding with a colleague. This increases when we communicate through video calls and messages, things can get lost in translation, as the saying goes. However, if we understand the other person’s communication style better, it would be easier to see their message from their point of view. 

Who you are gonna call? Even though this is not strictly about the communication style, we think it’s important to mention that the diagnostic can be a great starting point for harnessing strengths and acknowledging weaknesses within our teams. This is something we find incredibly useful within the Optimist team. Because we know each person’s strengths, for example, we can maximise them in our day-to-day interactions and work roles and responsibilities. 

The Optimist view…

It’s when we share our preferences for ways of working and talk about them with others that we really start to understand each other and therefore, start to adapt our thought processes and behaviours. Once you take the time to understand the person you are communicating with instead of making assumptions, you will see that communication becomes easier and more effective. 

If you want to know more about how your team diagnostic can help you and your team, get in touch with us. 

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Some of the most successful businesses are those that have built a happy and motivated team. However, building a successful team is not simple. It requires real commitment, careful planning and most importantly, it needs to start at the top.

Team Building is not just a buzzword

A fun team day away from the office (virtual or otherwise) once or twice a year is wonderful, but unfortunately, it is not enough to create the dream team.

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” – Babe Ruth.

In the same way a business has a growth or sales strategy, you need a long-term plan to build a team for success. You need to be clear and deliberate about your people strategy. 

What are the main challenges you are facing in order to achieve this? What would you like to address first? Every business will have a unique strategy; take the time to reflect on what the people in your team/organisation need and how you can help them become the dream team.

If you need help building a long-term plan for your team to thrive and succeed, get in touch with us. This is what we specialise in.  

Don’t tell people what to do; show them how to do it. The best leaders lead by example. Before trying to change the whole team or organisation, you must ensure that the executive team is on board and committed to the plan.

Company Culture and Values are just words…

In today’s world, having a solid company culture and values is essential, and it will also serve as the foundation to build your dream team. Customers and employees alike choose a brand based not only on the services or products they offer but also on how authentic and relevant the culture and values embodied by the brand are to their daily lives.

However, culture and values are just words unless they are translated into behaviours. If one of your company values is trustworthiness, what does this mean in everyone’s daily working life? A word can mean different things to different people; this is why it’s important to have clarity not only on what the culture and the values are but how you and the rest of your team live those values day in and day out. 

Aim for sustainable growth

The need to grow the team is a great sign. However, many businesses make the mistake of beginning the hiring process without first considering the people they need and want to succeed. Or how they can potentially signal a shift in the culture and values they’re looking to build and embed. 

Sure, depending on the role, asking for years of experience and a degree can be helpful, but we all are more than just our last job title and professional expertise. It may be better to hire someone who lacks experience but truly aligns with your company’s mission and is eager to learn and grow than to hire someone who has relevant experience but is simply looking at the paycheck.

It will be easier for you to find the ideal fit for your team if you are confident in the culture, values and people’s strategy that set your company apart.

You should also prioritise retention and engagement as you grow your team. While it could take you a little longer to induct and train someone with less expertise and experience, hiring a new employee every year will cost you more time and resources in the long run.

In addition, you need to consider how your team members will progress in the longer term as part of your people strategy. Lack of development and growth is one of the main reasons people quit their jobs. Enabling your best talent to access development opportunities will make them feel valued and motivated. Furthermore, it will allow you to start building your succession plan.

If you have a clear long-term plan for the development of your people, you can differentiate yourself from competitors, improve people’s sense of belonging and ensure that the people who stay are engaged and aligned with your culture and values. 

Plan well but don’t forget the execution

No matter where you start—whether you already have a one-year plan in place or you simply took your team outside for a day to talk about how to become a stronger team—execution is the most critical step.

No need to worry. You don’t have to jump in headfirst or attempt to address every problem at once. The important thing is that you start. People want to see that actions are taken, even if small and incremental. This will maintain their engagement and commitment to change. 

When thinking about execution, you must consider what you are committing to and how you will hold yourselves accountable. Whether it’s a new tool, technique or way of doing something, you need to plan for accountability. 

Share a doc where everyone commits to something, record a video, or sign an agreement; it doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as everyone is committed. 

The Optimist view…

Building your team for success is not an easy task. It takes time, you’re bound to make some mistakes, and you’ll need to adjust your plan along the way. However, to achieve the company’s growth and revenue targets, you will need the best from everyone in the team. 

Focusing on people and culture may not seem a priority if you are looking at revenue, but the only way you will get there is by building a successful team to support you on the journey.

At Optimist Performance, we help companies build their team for success. We’d be happy to work with you whether you want to start building and delivering your long-term plan or are just at a starting point for developing one. 

We will create a bespoke programme for you, either for a week, a month, six months or a year. We will focus on what you and your team need and work with you flexibly and collaboratively along the way to ensure your success. 

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“I wanted to become a doctor because I wanted to serve others…I’ve shared the lives of patients and staff members of the hospital, I’ve laughed with them, I’ve cried with them, this is what I want to do with my life.” – Patch Adams Movie

When we look back on our lives, the things we remember the most are the experiences we shared with others, some good, some bad, but all of them have made us who we are. At Optimist Performance, we are firm believers in the power of shared experiences, which is why we have made it our mission to use them as a catalyst to create long-lasting change. 

However, the power of shared experiences is not only something we believe in; we also have science backing us up. 

The benefits of shared experiences:

When talking about experiences, we are not only referring to the extraordinary ones (like going to the north pole or climbing Kilimanjaro). Yes, extraordinary adventures are amazing, but according to science, the crucial part is not the experience itself but who you share it with. 

Our founder, Ollie Phillips, is a fantastic illustration of this. When we asked him which adventure was his favourite one, his answer was “cycling across America, it wasn’t the most extraordinary one, but it’s the one I remember the most because I went with my wife, Lucy.”

Positive shared experiences enhance our feelings of belonging, connectedness and sense of meaning. Additionally, it boosts our self-esteem and decreases feelings of depression, anxiety and isolation. 

Furthermore, we shouldn’t focus on share experiences only with people we know and with whom we have things in common. Spending time with younger people, for example, can challenge our thinking and foster innovation while also enhancing our sense of purpose if we feel like we are teaching or helping them.

We don’t even really need to share these experiences with someone we know and already like. According to a recent study from Psychological Science, sharing experiences, even with complete strangers, makes us rate those experiences as more meaningful.

In addition to being good for our mental and emotional health, shared experiences also foster empathy and are linked to good physical and cognitive health.

Furthermore, it’s not only sharing these experiences that have a positive impact on us. Even talking about them with others benefits our well-being and life satisfaction, according to studies. 

How can we maximise the power of shared experiences?

Given that loneliness has been identified as one of the largest issues facing society today and that we are spending more time alone than ever (working from home for young people, for example, can be quite lonely). We could all benefit from shared experiences. 

So, we have created a list of ideas on how to maximise the power of experiences:

Leverage your time. Instead of trying to find time that you probably don’t have, we can make our time “multitask”. Take this company as an example; they have their Wednesday meetings while walking in the park. Using the time we spend on everyday activities and turning them into experiences can be a terrific way to make your time multitask. Furthermore, you don’t really need to be in the same room. Consider making a phone call to a co-worker over lunch (research shows that sharing a meal helps us build social connections and communities) to catch up on your weekend or turn a solo activity into a group activity. For instance, our team likes to get together on zoom for “brainstorming sessions”. During these, we just talk about ideas, points of view, etc.… it helps our creativity, but it’s also a bounding moment when we are not alone.

Mix things up. The holiday period can be a great time to spend time with people you normally wouldn’t. If the person you normally work closely with is on leave, ask someone else to collaborate with you or just ask for their opinions over a face-to-face or virtual coffee, You can also use your onboarding to mix things up. If you are a senior in your company, make some time to help young/new people to get situated, you never know what you can learn from them. 

Share, share, share. If you work from home and don’t see much of your co-workers, use your daily or weekly meetings to share your experiences, what you’ve done on the weekend or what you did while on holiday. Most of us can relate to other people’s stories, and it can help us discover more about other people. We always use the first 15 minutes of our morning meetings to talk about our weekends, and yes, maybe we are taking 15 minutes that we could be working, but because of that time, we feel more connected to one another. 

Change the environment. Create a memorable experience for your team by getting them out of their daily routine. Whether you work in the office or at home, it’s difficult to put day-to-day work aside to discuss other things that are maybe just as important. By changing the environment, you can give people the time and space needed to reflect on different aspects of their work and personal lives. Being together outside of routine tasks also fosters a sense of belonging and connection.

At Optimist Performance, we love creating unforgettable memories that have an impact on people. If you need assistance organising your next team event, get in touch with us.

The Optimist View…

“I will never tell you a story that starts with I was alone one day…”, our founder Ollie Phillips used to say. The experiences we have become part of who we are; they have the power to transform us. However, it’s the experiences we share with others, the ones that we remember the most. 

At Optimist Performance, we specialise in creating experiences that will help you grow both individually and as a team. If you want to bring your team together, strengthen your company culture and values, or make sure the whole team is rowing in the same direction, get in touch with us today and see how our leadership journeys can help you and your team maximise your potential.

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