Now with the workforce preparing to return to their offices following the pandemic, it has become a dire necessity for employers and managers to find ways to care for their team’s mental wellness. In this blog I provide to you top three reasons it would be beneficial to introduce Mindful creative activities as a team bonding exercise.

In its most traditional form, called kolam, the women who create this sand art, start with a template in mind. It requires planning and forethought. Just how a team member would need to be able to learn the skills of having a plan to be able to complete a project.

Once she enters the process however she may add elaborations and extensions of the design. Template of the grid of dots is her guideline. This art being with sand allows for one to be creative and flexible. Exactly how it helps for a team to be agile, creative and flexible with their plan and project.

For example she might begin with simple lotus patterns of eight petals and continue with more abstract petals that lead to a denser ornamentation. Sand art is a practice that engages a great deal of imagination. Innovation would not exist without an active imagination. The very underpinning of innovation is rooted in the creative process, being able to imagine new ideas and being open to diverse experiences. To quote Einstein, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Imagination is the key to increasing innovation and productivity. The benefits of investing in the professional development of an individual’s ability to imagine new ideas in a creative workplace should be a top priority of every human resource officer. Imagination and creativity, like other 21st century skills, have a proven link to successful entrepreneurship, intentional risk taking and the “fail fast” ideation process.

Once she is done with the design, since in the traditional form this art is placed in front of the homes, it becomes a conversation piece with neighbors leading to compliments to the creator. Receiving and freely giving compliments to your peers flows naturally as the teams participate in the process of Art creation.

So, the top three benefits of bringing in a modern mindful team building activity would be

1. Improve the team’s ability to plan ahead
2. Enhance the imaginative power of teams
3. Teach them to be flexible with their plans ready to innovate

A bonus benefit would be to learn the art of complimenting your team members on their wins.

I welcome you to create this space to be creative for yourself and your teams. Enable them at the end of the event with skills they can take to become more productive, creative and innovative.

If you want to see how it the Modern Mindful Team building works, sign up here for this once a month event.

Happy team bonding!