PROPERTY magnate Donald Trump was recently asked what he looks for when hiring a leader to run one of his companies.

He said he wants someone who is a team player while being an effective leader. According to him, the presence of both qualities in one person is rare.

Team-building can help develop new leaders while reinforcing the basic skills of experienced leaders.

Regardless of the size or type of company, team-building can also be an invaluable tool for building better team spirit, increasing retention rates and improving communication, management and leadership skills among the staff.

An added bonus: Unlike other kinds of training, team-building exercises usually allow participants to unwind and have fun.

Today's teams are often based in different locations, so team members meet only a couple of times a year. Add the long hours and pressure that most executives face, and team-building provides a welcome opportunity to bond in a friendly, relaxed environment. The structured event helps everyone to take part and get to know one another better.

Team-building activities are most effective when designed to develop a specific outcome. Here are some examples:

Away days

Mostly used for company-wide functions where the purpose is to get people together in a social setting, such as family days, dinners and golf outings.

Treasure hunts

Used when time is short and the emphasis is on fun and energy. Teams race around a course with limited resources to collect treasure and return to the base as fast as they can.

Experiential learning

Useful when specific skills need improvement. Challenging scenarios are used to simulate insights that support development of soft skills, like inter-team communication, goal-setting and problem-solving.

Rope courses

Pushes the team beyond its comfort zone in a physically and mentally demanding military style assault course that includes clambering up rope ladders and sliding down poles.

Extreme challenges

Creates unforgettable memories by putting the team through a massive challenge, such as a mountaineering expedition. The team is welded together through sheer survival necessity.

One example

Corning, a multinational glass and ceramics manufacturer, recently met in Shanghai???s Gong Qing Forest Park for a treasure hunt with their Greater China business development managers.

Four teams raced around the park collecting treasure to build their "quotas". Despite heavy rain, participants laughed throughout the friendly competition and marvelled at seeing new sides of their colleagues.

The company's sales manager said: "Meeting the team face to face in a relaxed environment is important for me to get buy in for some of my projects. Team-building activities help us get to know one another more while discussing usual business topics."

For Corning, getting the regional managers together for a fun session is an important part in building an effective team. The company's turnover rate is just 3 per cent in China, compared to the nationwide average of 8 per cent.

Gallup, a market research firm, conducted employee engagement surveys which showed that companies with strong programmes to develop staff, such as team-building, had lower turnover, higher margins and more satisfied customers.

Organising the event

While some companies design their team-building exercises internally, many also turn to professional event organisers and facilitators to plan and host their team-building events.

Aside from taking care of all the logistics and details, these vendors can also bring in creative, innovative and proven activities to maximise the return on participants' time.

But make sure you find an experienced facilitator whose approach is a good match for your team.

Whether you are organising your team-building event in-house or working with a professional provider, remember these tips:

• Have a theme: Consider using your company's values, which build a deeper understanding of your company culture in action. Recent Hewitt surveys in China find that strong company cultures act as a strong retention factor.
• Limit expected outcomes to two or three areas: This enables energy to be focused on getting tangible outcomes and does not overwhelm the participants.
• Seek different perspectives before the event: Talk with the participants as well as the leader.
• Use an experienced facilitator: He should be able to host a smooth agenda.
• Aim for a tangible takeaway: Make a poster, a video or a gift.

While team-building is not a fix for all team problems - such as difficult personalities, pressures from market conditions or company culture - it is an effective way to build team spirit and develop crucial soft skills like sharing, problem-solving and recognition.

Article by Warwick John Fahy, a certified professional facilitator and executive speech coach who helps to enhance personal and team productivity. E-mail: warwick@warwickjohnfahy.com.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Jun 7, 2007.

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