Tips for team building #ghcc

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From "Gearheads & a Redhead" and "2-122 Green Team" teams, courtesy of Lisa Adair

Hello, team captains! Thank you for accepting this leading role in the Group Health Commute Challenge [cue spotlight, pan to you and your team]. As team captains, you are the engine behind the Challenge. But are you lying awake at night wondering how you’re going to fill your team? “I’m the only one who rides to work,” you might be fretting.  But fear not: anyone can participate in the Commute Challenge, and potential teammates abound behind every cubicle.

Here are four tips to incent, inspire or coerce your way to a brilliant team:

1. Use a Commute Challenge sticky note. We made them just for you (see your captain’s packet). Stick the notes on potential teammates’ desks-- or windshields!
2. Use a bribe. When in doubt, go for donuts or sweets. Tell your coworkers that, of course, you'll regularly bring in treats-- but only for your teammates.
3. Be helpful. New riders might be intimidated by all that lycra, long commute distances or routes. Offer to plan a route with potential teammates or show them how to load their bike on the bus so they can split their commute. A little encouragement and help will go a long way.
4. Have fun and be inclusive. When thinking of potential teammates, go for new riders and people with short commutes. We’re rewarding more than just miles! Tell your potential teammates that there will be some informal office celebration each week.
5. With a little creativity and some TLC, your team will be full—and you might be on your way to winning Captain of the Year! (More about Captain of the Year next week….)