Here is a positive activity to boost the way people relate to each other at work. There are several variations to this activity which has been used in many training programs, including Dale Carnegie's. The Activity creates a great deal of goodwill and appreciation among people working together in one department or team.
Each person is to prepare several sheets of paper, and write at the top of each the name of one of the other members of the team, one sheet for each name. They should then write down under each name a list of the qualities or behaviors they most admired in that person in the past year, or in general. The statements should start with words like, "I appreciated it when you…" or "I really admire your way of…" or "It was great when you…" or " Thank you for your outstanding help with…" When all members have completed all the sheets about each other, collect the sheets for each member at a time and place them in an envelop to be given to the named person to read and keep. You can make variations as needed to fit your work situation.
The result of this activity is that each member will receive a large number of specific compliments, commendations, and expressions of appreciation for their qualities and actions. Countless experiences, and the popularity of 360 feedback tools, have indicated that people deeply appreciate and are affected by others’ perceptions and opinions of them. The good thing about this activity is that it deliberately limits the feedback to only the positive side of people. The impact on the team spirit and working relationships can be dramatic.
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