Airbnb for team building? Yes, please.
Full disclosure. I love working on a close-knit team, but find most team building activities dreadful.
Such as....
No, I don’t want to do a ropes course, nor do I want to pretend you’re being hilarious when you injure me in a friendly dodgeball match (chic eyewear and aggressively thrown balls don’t mix). I get excited about traveling to different cities for conferences and meetings, but hate when everything blends together as one giant Marriott blur. Or how about those 14 hour day onsites at corporate headquarters (or your firm’s training center)? You meet people by serendipity, and barely remember their names. Most team building brings you closer thanks to your shared loathing of the team building activities.
All that said, shared experiences matter. They should convey how important and special you want people to feel through the curation of those experiences. They should build a strong foundation for psychological safety. Here’s an example of team building done right. Enter: Airbnb Experiences. What is it, you might ask? Recently I was at a conference in Amsterdam and as a part of the conference, the organizers offered the options of going on Airbnb Experiences. And they are different and wonderful in all the right ways. It was such a simple idea. I jumped on the chance to do 2 experiences.
There were lots of options from bike riding to canal cruises to cooking classes. I landed on a beer walking tour. (Duh!) The tour was a nice combo of fun and quirky history of the city thanks to a friendly Spanish transplant (and his knowledge and reverence of the city shined through). It was small—7 people in total. I got to meet people from the conference which was great. The vibe was relaxed and fun. Because it was a very small group, I could speak in depth with the other conference goers throughout the tour. We made friends. I got to know them.
I also did an experience at a Hidden Houseboat Concert. Listening to music, sipping wine from a paper cup I sat with a fellow conference goer and we totally bonded over the uniqueness and gorgeous, inspiring concert. Who knew the Dutch could sing the Blues? Here are some tips on how you might want to think about using Airbnb Experiences for team building.
Find Social Impact Experiences. Airbnb waives its fees to the organizers if it is for a cause/non profit. Many organizers run these experiences as a fundraiser. In Amsterdam they had a social impact experience cleaning up a canal (obviously I steered towards beer and music, but helping the environment would have worked too!) I check out NYC Experiences and loved that so many offered to give you a window into other people's lives and views. Street art scene with insider gives you a view of the artists and treasures we pass each day on our way to get somewhere, particularly as many artists have been priced out of former havens for artist communities. Speaking of important voices, what about a tour to "Explore LGBTQ history with an activist"? I love that this opens up an inclusive vibe to your team.
Find something unique. What better way to bond than over something the team probably doesn't know how to do or hasn't tried before? Push the boundaries. "Learn stand-up with a comedian" is something where people learn to support each other when they are vulnerable. Plus who doesn't want to laugh? If comedy isn't you thing, there's a NYC Storytelling Experience which looks intriguing. The power of stories to bring people together is real. I personally would go for Paint Sneakers with a Fashion Designer. It has the bonus of letting everyone have matching yet unique shoes during your weekly status meeting. Hard to not work through conflict or tensions when you look down and see someone with matching glitter shoe laces. Just sayin.
Make and break bread. A great way to get to know and appreciate your team members, is to make then devour food together. Go big and think beyond the normal "make pasta or pizza" route, but try something truly special. There's the very mouth watering "Make Chinese Dumplings From Scratch" along with the equally intriguing "Cook Puerto Rican Dishes". The point is to explore and try something with your team as a shared, unique unforgettable experience. Shared experiences, ones that create connection, really matter. I am lobbying my team to try the "Private Bollywood dance class" (it's for a good cause!). The important thing is to find something that embraces the local, special hidden gems of your community, while creating an intimate, fun way for people to be themselves and know your colleagues on a deeper, more human level. This is ultimately about being intentional about building psychological safety with your colleagues. I love that Airbnb isn't just for vacation rentals. It's brilliant, and you should have fun exploring your own community. I can't wait to test out these experiences before I unleash them on my colleagues. Enjoy, and keep me posted on what you find and experience!
