In my first job after college, I joined an organization with a very strong culture. (We used to joke that we put the “cult” in culture.)
There were cheesy icebreakers, team chants, and all sorts of rituals that made us roll our eyes. We thought it was a little juvenile, maybe even unnecessary.
But here’s what I didn’t realize at the time: those very things that made us groan were also what made us a team.
The icebreakers helped us see each other as humans, not just coworkers. The chants reminded us that we weren’t alone, that we were part of something bigger. Even our shared eye rolls bonded us.
Those rituals - silly as they seemed - were the glue. A glue so strong that some of those team members are my closest friends 25 years later.
Years later, when I was leading my own team, I put this lesson into practice. At a company retreat, my brand-new team and I came up with our own chant. And every time our camp’s name was mentioned from the stage, we shouted our chant - loudly and obnoxiously.
It caught on! Other teams at the retreat came up with their own chants to join in the fun. Needless to say, that retreat was more...boisterous than my colleagues expected.
But what was even better? My team carried it back to camp, even teaching it to our campers. And what followed was powerful:
- Team members looked out for each other.
- They jumped in to help without being asked.
- They built a sense of belonging that lasted beyond the summer.
By the end of the season, our chant wasn’t just noise. It was a rallying cry that carried us through tough moments, kept us connected, and made the work more joyful. And the best part? A huge percentage of that team returned the following summer.
Here’s the truth: connection doesn’t always come from polished strategy or big initiatives. Sometimes, it’s in the cheesy, the silly, the shared rituals that give people something to belong to.
That shared experience is what turns a group of individuals into a team.
So I’ll leave you with this:
What’s one small ritual you could create with your team to strengthen connection?
It doesn’t have to be perfect, or even serious. Sometimes, the sillier it feels, the more powerful it becomes.
So if you’re ready to bring more connection (and a little fun) into your leadership, this week’s final installment of Leadership Backpack tools are designed for just that:
📚 Leader’s Library – a curated list of books and podcasts to spark growth
📝 Team Connector – a ready-to-use team meeting template that fosters collaboration and trust
💬 Feedback that Sticks – a practical tool to make feedback clear, kind, and constructive
👉 Grab this week’s tools here: The Leadership Backpack (Password: Backpack25)
Keep adding to your backpack—and keep building the kind of team that grows together.