3 Ways to Build Culture with Your Virtual Team with Becky Brunner

How do you build a team that you enjoy working with, and that exceeds expectations?

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Today, special guest Becky Brunner talks about how to lead people, and build culture among your team. 

Meet Becky

Becky Brunner is a value-driven, adventure-loving, team culture strategist. She works with female business owners & service providers to get them connecting with their teams on a level beyond just “work.” In order to keep productivity high, relationships strong, and team members genuinely happy, you have to have a strategy that develops and nurtures a positive team culture. Becky will help create a plan that strengthens your team’s culture and allows you to lead a team of motivated, connected, and happy employees without having the awkward “feelings talk” and confrontational meetings. You can take the first step toward connecting with your team by downloading her free 30-days of team connection prompts at choosehappyassisting.com or following Becky on Instagram at @choosehappyassisting.

Becky’s Background

• She is a busy wife and mom of two, from Wisconsin
• She is a take-charge first born, and a natural leader
• Worked in marketing communications in a corporate setting for 12 years, then in corporate wellness, and decided that she had enough of the corporate work setting in 2019
• Started her own business as a project manager, and automatically started working on team culture without it even being her job

“Connection is so important to me, it’s literally my lifeblood… so working on connection just came natural.”

How can we build culture with a virtual team?

1. Have an onboarding process 

• This will help you to avoid the new hire constantly having to ask you questions 
  • Have a plan and a templated process in place
  • Check in on them and ask specific questions 
• Help them understand the team culture from the start through a fun activity or happy hour with coworkers
• Try to find out what makes them tick

“Help them feel like they are going to be successful, that they are important, and that you are excited to have them on the team.”

2. Be accommodating to team members

• It’s important to have accommodations based on their needs, balanced with establishing some core hours for the needs of the business
• Be very clear about what the expectation is

“[People are] yearning for flexibility and to feel appreciated and enjoy the work that they do.”

3. Creating strong connections amongst team members and employees is critical

• It is one of the most important things when creating a strong, positive team culture
• Each team is different so find the things that work for you
  • Start small
  • Ask a question on Voxer
  • Have a “water cooler” or “celebrations” Slack channel
  • Encourage leaders to be vulnerable to set the tone for the team
  • Virtual game nights
  • Book clubs
  • Virtual team retreats or speakers
  • Help create individual connections/encourage people to connect

How do you employ these tactics with an in-person team?

• Guide them through the onboarding process
  • Introduce them in a team meeting/walk them around and make them feel comfortable
  • Take them to lunch or show them the basics of where things are
  • Make them feel comfortable and ready to dig in
• Create connection
  • Have icebreakers and bond

Weekly Ops Activity

What are 3 connection questions that you could employ in your next team meeting? Let us know in the Facebook group.

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