9 classy team building activities for senior management

According to a McKinsey report, the relationships of the executives directly affect the overall success of the organization. That’s why it is so important to invest in the right team building activities for senior management. 

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But what does it mean, “right”? After all, isn’t the goal of every team building to bring all the participants closer together and bond over the corporate values?

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Well, yes and no. Keep reading to find out why some senior management team building activities work better than others.

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What makes team building activities for executives stand out

If you’ve been searching for the best team bonding activities for your organization, you might have seen many options of games designed to promote problem-solving attitudes or encourage communication. Yet, not all of them will give you the results you hope to achieve if applied to the team leaders. 

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As such, there are certain specifics of the team building activities for senior management. Generally speaking: 

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• Executives might prefer serious or formal events to light-hearted games
• They are also more likely to join a longer experience instead of participating in the daily 15-minute ice-breakers
• Senior management team building activities work best for smaller groups, not company-wide events
• Team leaders mainly go for team building events that are educational or provide participants with new experiences 
• Higher managers gladly participate in philanthropic events that give back to the community

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With that in mind, think about the purpose of your next senior management team building and choose the activity that fits your needs best! Or, consult a team building software to help set up a great team building session for your coworkers.

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Executive team building events: Share meaningful experiences

One of the best ways to get all the senior managers on the same page is to have them spend some quality time together. 

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1. Reflect on wins and challenges with Memorable Moments

Duration: 45 minutes

Perfect for: Reflecting on the team's achievements. Perfect for the end or beginning of the year.

Secret ingredient: Combine laughs with some serious reflection

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When you work in upper management, you spend a lot of time thinking about tactics and strategies for the future. With all that forward-looking, we can sometimes forget to reflect on the past and celebrate our achievements. If that is you and your team, Memorable Moments is the perfect activity for your team building session.

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After loosening up with a quick icebreaker, everyone gets to share their most memorable moments. Learning more about how coworkers perceived different wins and challenges in the team and what they value most helps you stay connected and revive those special moments. Try the activity for free; no prep needed.

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2. Catch a break with a corporate retreat

Duration: 2-5 days

Perfect for: Building interpersonal relations, reducing stress, deep work

Secret ingredient: Break from the daily routine

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Executive positions tend to be particularly demanding. So offering your team leaders an opportunity to unwind and relax for a few days may be the best medicine. Combine that with a series of dedicated workshops and intense brainstorming sessions, and you’ve got a recipe for a perfect team building retreat. 

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Corporate retreats are fun, as they are diverse. You can leave the office space for a few days and do pretty much anything:

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• connect with the wilderness on a camping trip
• stay at a ski resort to enjoy some mulled wine
• fly to a remote island and relax at the beach
• whatever else your local travel agent can plan for you

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Corporate retreats work best when every participant is on board with the agenda. That’s why organizing a SPA day for your entire organization may be challenging. Yet, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a perfect environment for the team leads to get to know each other in an informal setting.

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3. Support a local NGO

Duration: 3-5 hours 

Perfect for: Joining a cause, changing the perspective

Secret ingredient: An enhanced sense of community

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If your organization wants to take it a step further and take a stand, this team building experience is a perfect option. It provides the team leads with an opportunity to try themselves in a brand new position, but also, you will be working towards a better tomorrow. 

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Some of the ways you could contribute to your local area are:

• Spending a day at a local pet shelter, taking care of the animals
• Cleaning the local beach, forest, park, etc. 
• Organizing a series of workshops for the kids from the local school
• Working in the community garden
• Donating blood together to the local hospital

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There are two rules here: 

1. The participants need to get hands-on, not just donate money to the charity of their choice. 
2. The organization you are supporting shouldn’t be directly affiliated with your business. After all, it’s about helping the locals, not promoting your company.

Executive team building workshops: Master new skills

Another great way to engage the senior management is for them to join a dedicated team building workshop. This way, you will be able to learn new skills while also learning to cooperate as a group and work towards a common goal.

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4. Learn to cook something new together

Duration: 2-4 hours

Perfect for: Practicing project management, teamwork, and delegating tasks

Secret ingredient: A tasty bonus at the end

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There is just something about food that brings people closer together. Besides, you can easily do this type of team building online! As a result, cooking workshops have become very popular with all types of organizations. 

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If you’re searching for ways to make this fun experience extra special for the senior managers, all you have to do is opt-in for more intricate recipes or processes. 

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For example, you could try some of these ideas for your next executive team building workshop:

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• Zero-waste sustainable cooking (e.g., Cookery School)
• Sushi-making workshop (e.g., Sushi Making for the Soul)
• Beer brewing session (e.g., Brew It Yourself)
• Making different types of pasta from scratch
• And many more!

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Check out this blog post for more food-related team building activities

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5. Sign up for leadership workshops

Duration: 1.5-4 hours

Perfect for: Learning new management techniques

Secret ingredient: Access to new methodologies

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Being open to new approaches is a crucial element of being a successful executive. So it makes perfect sense that good team leaders are extremely eager to learn from the best. And what could be a better topic for a senior management team building workshop than leadership? 

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Being a successful leader requires a profound understanding of various skills. That’s why your team could be attending seminars and participating in dedicated workshops all year round! 

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Here are some examples of the topics they could find helpful: 

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• Conflict management
• Providing actionable feedback to employees
• Adopting agile work
• Delegating effectively
• Leading through change

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Just remember: the best way to ensure that the topic you choose for your next executive team building workshop will resonate with the participants is to ask them directly about the skills they are interested in the most.

Executive team building games: socialize and have fun

All work and no play not only makes Jack a dull boy but also makes a pretty poor recipe for a team building event. Especially if you’re part of a hardworking executive team. That’s why it’s important to save some budget for an event that is just about that — good old-fashioned fun. 

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6. Play Random Fairytales

Duration: 25-30 minutes

Perfect for: Practicing creativity and having a good time

Secret ingredient: Unexpectedly funny stories

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Get your creative juices flowing with a fun group activity! Random Fairytales is our new and improved version of the classic game "Broken Telephone". Every player takes turns drawing and guessing scenes, sparking an ever-evolving chain of ideas. Even if your teammates are more analytical than artistic, they'll have a great time because sometimes the worst drawings produce the best results! Try Random Fairytales for free on Gomada.

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Here's a sneak peek of Random Fairytales:

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7. Host a poker night

Duration: 2-3 hours

Perfect for: Training patience and logical thinking, improving focus and concentration

Secret ingredient: Players decide on the prize

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Is your team looking for some peace and quiet? Then hosting a poker night for a small group of senior managers might be your best bet! 

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Poker is a perfect game for team building because it is known to improve physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Besides, it provides a perfect background for meaningful conversations. 

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There are different ways you can go about organizing a poker night for the team leads: 

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• book a dedicated room in a special bar
• keep things simple and play in the office after hours 
• go a bit personal and host the game nights at the players’ houses
• join online for a quick poker session 

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That’s right — to make your team building game work you don’t even have to leave the house. All you need is a stable internet connection, a platform for hosting virtual events, and some gambling spirit. It’s that simple!

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Check what other free online team building activities work best for remote teams.

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8. Participate in a professional wine tasting session

Duration: 1-1.5 hours

Perfect for: Gaining a new skill and experiencing your team in a new environment

Secret ingredient: Practice mindfulness by paying attention to all 5 senses

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Hosting a sophisticated wine tasting session makes an interesting addition to another team building event or can become an exciting experience on its own. You can even participate in it virtually, having all the essentials delivered to you! 

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Usually, all wine tasting sessions follow a similar structure:

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1. You select types of wine you’d like to try and choose the food pairings in advance
2. A professional sommelier will explain the history of wine, its process, and its characteristics
3. You get to try a little bit of the wine, paying close attention to its color, smell, texture, and taste, as well as any changes caused by the food pairings 
4. Enjoy a short break to finish your glass, discuss your findings with other participants, or ask your questions
5. Move on to the next type of wine  

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But to really get the most out of this activity, you can easily turn your wine tasting session into a fun team building game. For example, you could try some of the following: 

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• Have the sommelier describe to you the specifics of the wine and try to find the correct type among all the selections on your own
• Let each of the participants describe their perception of the drink and have others guess which sort they are talking about
• Try to organize the selection of wines based on one specific feature, such as year of production or the level of sweetness.  

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This way, the executives get to remember what it’s like to have a beginner’s mind. What is more, you also get a chance to practice various essential soft skills, such as logic, reasoning, and even physical abilities.

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Related reading: Virtual wine tasting team building for teams of all sizes

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9. Organize a family BBQ

Duration: 4-6 hours

Perfect for: Getting to know each other on a more personal level, connecting with families

Secret ingredient: Kid-friendly event

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If the group of executives in your organization mainly consists of family-oriented individuals, organizing a family-friendly event is the best way to encourage as many people as possible to participate in a corporate team building. 

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It is very hard to resist a day packed with professional entertainment for the kids and grilled goods! 

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Different companies try different approaches to this event. So you’ve got some options to choose from:

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• You can organize a company-wide picnic close to the office to get to know each other on a more personal level
• The executives can welcome each other’s families in their own backyards with some regular rotation of the hosts
• You can organize a daily retreat to a specially designated area and hire professional catering

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Why senior management team building is important 

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Enhancing team leaders with a sense of the common direction, shared values, and mutual trust is paramount to the organization. 

Why? First of all, because they will be the ones passing these beliefs to their teams. But also, because the higher the position, the greater the stakes. And ensuring that senior management has their work-life balance figured out guarantees the smooth functioning of the entire company.

Nonetheless, you should also invest some time into team building for the respective teams in your company. After all, they are responsible for keeping the ball rolling. We selected the most valuable activities for different departments in the articles below:

• Activities for HR teams
• Activities for sales teams
• Activities for software engineers and agile teams
• Activities for senior management

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