Team Building & LEGO Serious Play | Build Better Teams

Tired of networking events that consist of name tags, awkward small talk, and the same old question: “So, what do you do?”

There’s a better way to help people connect.

In this episode of the Build Better Teams Podcast, strategic leadership and team-building facilitator Shannon Russell takes you behind the scenes of two recent interactive networking events where participants skipped the traditional introductions and ...

Planning a leadership retreat or executive offsite? Don't bring your leaders together just to spend eight hours sitting around a conference table listening to presentations.

In this episode of the Build Better Teams podcast, strategic leadership and team-building facilitator Shannon Russell shares creative leadership retreat ideas and activities designed to get leaders out of their seats, away from their screens, and actively commun...

What happens when we stop using our imagination at work?

After recently stepping onto the TEDx stage, strategic leadership and team-building facilitator Shannon Russell is reflecting on the idea at the center of her talk: The Imagination Recession.

As adults, we become focused on productivity, efficiency, deadlines, and getting more done. Somewhere along the way, many of us stop making time to play, experiment, create, and imagine wh...

Why do organizations promote great employees into management roles and then expect them to automatically know how to lead?

Being excellent at your job doesn't necessarily mean you know how to manage people, delegate effectively, communicate with empathy, or build an engaged team.

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell sits down with leadership development coach and Lightspark Leadership founder Risa Seelenfreund to di...

What makes a strategic planning session actually lead to change?

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell takes you behind the scenes of a recent three-hour strategic planning workshop she facilitated for a leadership team in Oklahoma City using the LEGO® Serious Play® method.

Instead of spending hours talking through PowerPoint slides, taking notes, and leaving with more questions than answers, the leadership team used...

What if play wasn't a distraction from work, but one of the most powerful leadership strategies you could use to build a stronger team?

In this episode of Build Better Teams, strategic leadership and team-building facilitator Shannon Russell explores why play at work can increase creativity, improve employee engagement, strengthen communication, and help teams innovate in ways traditional meetings often can't.

As workplaces become in...

Do you really know the people on your team?

Not just their job title or daily responsibilities, but their hidden strengths, untapped skills, career goals, and what truly motivates them?

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell shares 10 powerful leadership questions that can transform your one-on-one meetings, improve employee engagement, strengthen workplace communication, and help you uncover talents that may already ...

Is managing your team enough to create a high-performing workplace? Not anymore.

Today's leaders are navigating hybrid work, remote employees, multiple generations in the workplace, AI, and changing employee expectations. Simply managing projects and checking off tasks isn't enough to build engaged, collaborative teams.

In this episode of Build Better Teams Podcast, Shannon Russell explores the difference between management and leade...

Does the word networking make you cringe? You're not alone.

For many professionals, networking feels forced, transactional, and awkward. But what if networking wasn't about collecting business cards or making sales? What if it was simply about building meaningful relationships that make you a better leader?

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell explores why networking has earned a bad reputation, how leaders can refr...

Why isn't your team speaking up?

If you've ever left a meeting wondering why no one challenged an idea, shared feedback, or contributed to the conversation, you're not alone. Many leaders mistake silence for agreement, when in reality, it often signals a communication gap.

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell explores why workplace communication breaks down, how psychological safety impacts employee engagement, and ...

What can workplace leaders learn from sports teams, volunteers, and nonprofit organizations?

Quite a lot.

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell sits down with sports management consultant and facilitator Lara Schroeder, founder of Spark Solutions, to discuss leadership, strategic planning, communication, team culture, and the importance of creating systems that help organizations thrive.

Drawing on her experience work...

What makes high-performing teams different from everyone else?

According to Google's groundbreaking Project Aristotle study, the answer isn't talent, experience, or intelligence. It's psychological safety.

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell explores the psychology behind successful teams and explains why trust, belonging, and open communication are essential for improving employee engagement, collaboration, and wo...

Are you trying to grow your business while feeling overwhelmed by everything on your plate?

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell sits down with leadership strategist and founder of High Voltage Leadership, Lindsay White, for a powerful conversation about leadership, delegation, hiring, workplace culture, founder burnout, and building high-performing teams.

With more than 20 years of experience in HR, people strategy...

What can a hilarious Netflix comedy teach us about workplace culture, employee engagement, and effective team building?

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell breaks down the new Netflix series Company Retreat and explains why the show accidentally highlights one of the biggest problems with traditional corporate retreats and leadership offsites.

From awkward icebreakers and forced bonding exercises to endless present...

Are your team-building events truly engaging your employees, or are they just another meeting everyone forgets by the next day?

In this episode of Build Better Teams, host Shannon Russell explores creative team-building workshop ideas that help organizations improve communication, increase employee engagement, and build stronger workplace collaboration through active participation.

Shannon shares why traditional workplace events ofte...

Are your team meetings increasing… but employee engagement is still low?

In today’s workplace, more meetings are not the answer to better communication, stronger collaboration, or higher employee engagement. In fact, too many meetings can lead to disengagement, burnout, and lack of productivity.

In this episode of Build Better Teams, we break down how to improve employee engagement without adding more meetings and what a...

Do you ever feel like you’re building your business completely alone?

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell shares a powerful case study on how solopreneurs, remote workers, and business owners can build a “team” even without employees.

If you’re working from home, running your business solo, or feeling stuck without collaboration, this episode will shift how you think about team building, net...

Why does team communication break down even when everyone is in the same meeting?

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell breaks down the real reason teams struggle with communication, collaboration, and engagement, and why more meetings are not the solution.

If you’ve ever led a meeting where a few people dominate the conversation while others stay quiet, you’re not alone. Most teams aren’t lacking i...

What happens when your team is afraid to speak up?

In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell shares a powerful real-world case study of how a global pharmaceutical company used a LEGO® Serious Play® workshop to uncover hidden fears, improve team communication, and create true alignment during a major organizational change.

When offices were closing, teams were merging, and uncertainty was high, leadership knew they weren...