I am hiring a completely new staff for a facility that has not opened yet. The professional staff is easier to select but the paraprofessional staff is tricky. Also when we start bringing staff in I want some good team building exercises for orientation. Any suggestions?

The Team Doc Says…

Congratulations! It’s much easier to build a team from the ground up than it is to change an existing team.

Just remember as you hire that you want to focus on team member attributes that will fit best with the team culture you are trying to create — hire for culture, train for skill. You’ll be much better off in the long run.

A good team building exercise for team orientation is to play get to know you bingo. It’s simple and won’t cost you a lot (in time or money).

You can also find some quick team building icebreakers at about.com.

Who else has some suggestions? Please leave a comment.

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