Your Team Hasn't Really Met Each Other Yet
And Why That's Costing You More Than You Think
Your research team leader was dreading the return to office. After two years of Zoom screens and Slack channels, bringing everyone back into the same room felt like introducing strangers who happened to share the same company email domain.
Sound familiar? You're not alone.
The Hidden Cost of Surface-Level Teams
You think you know your team. You know their job titles, their Zoom backgrounds, maybe their coffee preferences. But here's what you probably don't know: the creative ideas your quiet developer keeps to themselves, the leadership potential hiding in your analyst, or the innovative solutions your team members dream up but never share.
When teams operate at surface level, you're not just missing out on deeper relationships—you're leaving breakthrough ideas on the table.
What Happens When Teams Actually Connect
Rachel Kalban, VP of Research and Curriculum at 9Story Media, faced exactly this challenge. Her team hadn't been in the same room for two years. The standard "let's just talk all day" approach felt inadequate for rebuilding genuine connection.
Instead, she tried something different: a LEGO Serious Play workshop in New York City designed to help team members discover the humans behind the job titles.
The results surprised everyone.
Beyond "How Was Your Weekend?"
Using specialized LEGO storytelling kits, each team member built models that revealed aspects of their personalities and life stories they'd never shared at work. Not personal details—just the watercooler conversations that never actually happen.
The impact was immediate and measurable:
You discover unexpected depth: "I really enjoyed the LEGO workshop - I was grateful for how everybody was so sincere in their responses and took the play seriously, because it allowed us to go beyond the surface level."
You see your team's real potential: Team members revealed how they each approach problems differently, even when given identical tools and challenges.
You build actual empathy: "Anytime you get to share a part of yourself with others it continues to endear that person to you and builds greater empathy in how you handle working together."
You create lasting connections: "I can honestly say that the team feels closer than it had before and I can see some of the anxieties about returning to work dissipating."
The Method Behind the Magic
This wasn't random team building. The workshop used LEGO Serious Play methodology—a proven approach that creates psychological safety through metaphor and hands-on building.
Here's why it works: When you're building with LEGO, you're not putting yourself on display. You're sharing stories through colorful bricks, which feels safer than direct conversation. Yet somehow, it reveals more authentic truths about who people really are.
Each participant kept their LEGO kit as a reminder of the experience—tangible proof that their colleagues are more interesting than their job descriptions suggest.
What Your Team Is Really Capable Of
Your team has untapped potential sitting in every meeting. The question is: are you creating space for it to emerge?
When teams move beyond surface-level interactions, you unlock:
Hidden expertise your quiet team members possess but rarely share
Creative solutions that emerge when people feel safe to contribute authentically
Stronger collaboration built on genuine understanding rather than professional politeness
Reduced anxiety about working together, especially during transitions or challenges
Lasting bonds that make every future interaction more effective
The Real ROI of Connection
Rachel's verdict? "Bringing in Brandon to facilitate a LEGO Serious Play Team Building session on our pre-return-to-work day was the best decision I could have made as a manager."
But the value extended far beyond one successful day. The team continued conversations long after the workshop ended. They approached problems with new appreciation for different perspectives. Most importantly, they stopped being colleagues who happened to work together and became a team that actually knew each other.
Your Next Step
You probably have team members with brilliant ideas who never share them in traditional meetings. Your reserved engineer might be your best strategic thinker. Your detail-oriented analyst might have the creative breakthrough you've been seeking.
The question is: when will you create the space for them to show up as their full selves?
Your team's potential is already there. You just need the right approach to unlock it.
Ready to discover who your team really is? Book a discovery call to explore how IN8 Create can transform your team's connections and unleash their hidden potential.
Want to see the full impact? The 9Story team left their workshop with strengthened relationships, renewed camaraderie, and what one participant called "a lot to think about." Most importantly, they were excited about working together in person again—not just resigned to it.
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