Build Better Teams | Team Building, Leadership, Employee Engagement, Strategic Planning & LEGO Serious Play

Epizode

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  The 10 Best Questions Leaders Should Ask Their Team Members | #19 27.07.2026 16min

  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 exist within your organization. As a strategic leadership fa...
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  Team Management vs. Leadership: 5 Ways to Build High-Performing Teams That Last | #18 20.07.2026 17min

  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 leadership and shares the five characteristics she sees in every...
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  Why Networking Makes You a Better Leader: How Meaningful Relationships Build Stronger Teams | #17 13.07.2026 18min

  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 reframe it as relationship-building, and why expanding your prof...
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  The Communication Gap at Work: Why Teams Stay Quiet and How Leaders Can Fix It | #16 07.07.2026 18min

  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 why traditional meetings often fail to unlock the best ideas...
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  Leadership Lessons from Sports: Team Culture and Volunteer Engagement with Lara Schroeder | #15 23.06.2026 30min

  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 working with sport and recreation organizations across Canada, ...
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  The Psychology of High-Performing Teams: How Psychological Safety Improves Employee Engagement and Team Performance |#14 16.06.2026 17min

  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 workplace culture. Drawing from her own experiences in televis...
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  How to Build a High-Performing Team Without Doing Everything Yourself with Lindsay White | #13 01.06.2026 27min

  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, and leadership development, Lindsay helps entrepreneurs an...
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  What Netflix’s Company Retreat Gets Right About Team Building: Employee Engagement, Workplace Culture & LEGO Serious Play | #12 25.05.2026 7min

  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 presentations and corporate buzzwords, Shannon explores why so many...
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  Creative Team Building Workshop Ideas That Engage Employees | #11 18.05.2026 8min

  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 often fall flat and how hands-on experiences create deeper conne...
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  How to Improve Employee Engagement Without More Meetings | #10 11.05.2026 20min

  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 actually drives connection, clarity, and contribution inside high-performi...
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  How to Build a Team as a Solopreneur (Even If You Work Alone) | #9 06.05.2026 13min

  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, networking, and community. You’ll learn: Why working alone can limit creativity, ...
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  Why Your Team Isn’t Communicating (And How to Fix It) | #8 27.04.2026 9min

  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 ideas. They’re lacking the right environment to share them. In this episode, yo...
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  How to Improve Team Communication and Uncover Employee Fears - A Case Study | #7 20.04.2026 9min

  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’t getting honest feedback from employees. Instead of relyin...
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  The Secret to Better Team Alignment? Think With Your Hands | #6 13.04.2026 8min

  What if your next strategic planning session didn’t involve a single slide deck? In this episode of Build Better Teams, Shannon Russell shares how LEGO® Serious Play® workshops are transforming the way teams approach strategic planning, collaboration, and employee engagement. If your meetings feel repetitive, your team struggles to align, or only a few voices dominate the conversation, this episode will open your eyes to a completely different approach. You’ll learn: Why traditional mee...
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  Stop Wasting Money on Offsites: How to Plan a Team Building Workshop Where Everyone Wins | #5 07.04.2026 9min

  Are you planning a team offsite or leadership retreat? Before you book the venue or plan the activities, ask yourself this one question...what do you want to change after the event? In this episode of Build Better Teams, we break down how to design a team building workshop offsite that goes beyond a “fun day” and actually improves team engagement, workplace culture, and team alignment. Because the best offsites are not about the location, the food, or the agenda. They are about the outc...
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  How LEGO® Serious Play® Team Building Workshops Improve Team Collaboration and Employee Engagement | #4 06.04.2026 12min

  🔗 Learn more or book a strategy call: https://buildbetterteamsconsulting.com. In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven workplace, teams are more connected than ever. But are they truly collaborating? In this episode #4 of Build Better Teams, we explore the “analog advantage” and why stepping away from screens to participate in workshops like LEGO® Serious Play®, can dramatically improve team collaboration, employee engagement, and strategic thinking. Shannon Russell, Strategic Leadership an...
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  Strategic Planning That Actually Works: A Step-by-Step Guide for Leaders | #3 30.03.2026 11min

  In this episode of Build Better Teams, we break down how to run a strategic planning session that actually leads to clear decisions, team alignment, and real results. Most strategic planning workshops fails for one simple reason. Too much discussion, not enough decision. Hosted by Shannon Russell, Strategic Leadership and Team Facilitator certified in the LEGO® Serious Play® methodology, this episode walks you through a step-by-step process to design and lead more effective strategic planning...
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  How to Plan a Team Building Workshop That Drives Real Results | #2 30.03.2026 16min

  Why do many team building workshop ideas often fail? And which ones actually work when it comes to team alignment and employee engagement? In this episode of Build Better Teams, we break down why most team building activities fail to create real change, and what leaders, HR professionals, and organizations should be doing instead. Because team building should do more than check a box. It should improve team alignment, communication, and employee engagement in a meaningful, lasting way....
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  Why Teams Struggle with Alignment (And How to Fix It with Better Leadership and Strategic Planning) | #1 30.03.2026 8min

  Have you ever left a meeting wondering what was actually accomplished? Or walked away from a leadership retreat with great ideas but no real clarity or next steps? In this first episode of Build Better Teams, we break down why so many teams struggle with alignment, communication, and execution, even when they have talented people and strong ideas. Hosted by Shannon Russell, Strategic Leadership and Team Facilitator certified in the LEGO® Serious Play® methodology, this episode introduces a ne...
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  Build Better Teams Trailer: Team Building, Leadership Development and Strategic Planning That Actually Works 24.03.2026 1min

  Welcome to Build Better Teams, the podcast for leaders, HR professionals, and organizations who want stronger collaboration, clearer strategy, and more engaged teams. Hosted by Shannon Russell, Strategic Leadership and Team Facilitator certified in the LEGO® Serious Play® methodology, this podcast delivers practical, real-world strategies for hands-on team building, leadership development, and strategic planning that actually drive results and brings your team closer to its goals. If you are ...