Relationships Matter More Than Any Team-Building Program

Relationships really matter.

As I travel around the world, I like to ask friends and colleagues this question: “What’s the happiest and most memorable holiday from your childhood?”

What do you think the most common response is?

Travelling to exotic islands? Seeing iconic sites like Kakadu? Skiing in Thredbo? Nope.

The most common response is: long family road trips.

More than mountains and monuments, we remember and cherish conversations and laughter.

Long road trips give us no other option but to chat with one another, take turns listening to each others’ favourite songs, sing together, tell jokes, solve riddles, and otherwise entertain one another through our toilet breaks, quirks and foibles.

People are what make memories memorable. Not places or prizes or adrenaline or adventure.

The same is true of corporate culture. It’s all about giving people the space to develop authentic connection. They will do the rest.

Remember that, the next time you’re tempted to spend a bomb on a new team- building program.