The Team-Building Exercise Worth a Trillion Dollars

“What’s on your mind?” Meta turned this question into a trillion-dollar business. I turned it into a team-building exercise that rebuilt engagement inside my own team.

Like many leaders, I changed my communication style during COVID to stay in sync with my team. I adopted the recommended approaches, starting with more one-on-one meetings and check-ins. But something was still missing. Nearly every conversation ran through me, and my team was linked by technology, but not necessarily to one another. Then a Facebook post from a cousin I’ve never met made me feel connected to my distant family, and that made me wonder if I could recreate that spark at work. So I asked my team, “What’s on your mind?,” and shared my own thoughts. One or two likes. The next day, same thing. And the next. Eventually those small posts turned into conversations. People opened up, and the team felt like a team again.

Years later, I tested a similar approach with senior leaders across the country. Different audience, same outcome.

How to Build Connection That Sticks

Leaders talk about communication and culture as if good communication leads straight to a strong culture. But connection is the force that makes those things work. It’s the part that strengthens trust and keeps people aligned when everything else feels chaotic. Here are some lessons I’ve learned along the way.

• Go first. Nobody wants to be the first person to overshare in a work channel. When you post something honest and a little imperfect, it encourages people to speak up. This helps teams surface issues early and celebrate wins more often.
• Make it optional. Mandatory fun has never produced fun. Invite people in, but resist the urge to track participation. Replies tend to be more honest when nobody feels pushed to weigh in.
• Keep it small and keep it daily. People don’t need a polished update or a strategic insight. A small, steady habit builds trust over time. My early, humble posts earned only one or two likes. But consistency mattered more than volume.
• Reply with curiosity. When someone shares, answer back instead of leaving a thumbs up or scheduling a follow-up. A genuine comment shows that you are listening, which prompts others to share more and turns a post into a conversation.

Connection can come from small, regular moments, like a post or question that invites people to share their thoughts. When leaders keep it up, teams can become more collaborative and more willing to engage. Just one question may be the simplest team-building exercise you will ever run, and it comes with a trillion-dollar track record. Sometimes the smallest gesture opens the biggest door.

Adeline (Addy) Maissonet is a senior advisor on contracting policies and procedures within the Office of the Secretary of War, U.S. Department of War (DoW) and the agency’s representative on the Department’s views on proposed legislation to Congressional members, their staff, and committee staffers. She leads the development and implementation of Department-wide procurement policies for commodities and services, within her portfolio. Prior to her current role, Addy served as a Division Chief and Contracting Officer with unlimited warrant authority for the U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) – Fort Eustis, Virginia. Prior to joining the MICC, Addy served as a Branch Head for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC), Norfolk, Virginia, with unlimited warrant authority. She also held other procurement positions with the U.S. Navy. Addy holds an MBA in Management and Contracting Level III Certification under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act. She is a graduate from Cornell University’s Executive Leadership Certificate Program and Harvard University’s Business Analytics Certificate Program. In her free time, Addy enjoys hiking and overlanding with her family and friends.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of War.

Photo Credit: RDNE Stock project, Pexels