Woohoo!! And here we have story number three. I was worried I wouldn't be able to think of anything, but then I actually dreamed the plot last night. This one will hopefully be entertaining, although the first chapter may be a little boring because I had to set the stage! Anyone who has ever had to go through this will be able to sympathize with Lisbon. I had to do it numerous times with college organizations and it can get quite ridiculous! If anyone has suggestions for team activities, please feel free to include it in your review! Y'all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The facts on team building came from Mr. Joe Love thanks to Google.

Chapter 1

Team Building: the art of improving team performance by developing working skills and relationships by using any appropriate method.

Theresa Lisbon stared at the memo in her hand. She decided that if she glared hard enough, it would just disappear. No such luck, she thought with a sigh. Minelli had issued a change in procedure that would require each team at the CBI to organize monthly team building events. They would have to submit a lesson plan for approval detailing how the event would encourage growth within the group. Planning of such events would be rotated among team members to ensure a well balanced mix of opportunities. Activities should also be budget friendly.

Groaning, she stretched back in her chair and placed the memo off to the side. As the team leader, she would be expected to plan the first exercise. She could do what she wanted, within reason, but she was finding it difficult to think of anything that would not be boring. She didn't want to play any stupid icebreaker games and besides, anything involving Patrick Jane could prove to be dangerous. She glanced at the clock. Her lesson plan was due for approval in one hour. With a sigh she flipped open to the first page.

Goal #1: Working Relationships will be developed

People have to work together and by doing so colleagues will develop more effective working relationships with team members who are new to the team and with team members who have been part of the team for some time.

Okay, she could see the validity in that statement. With her new rookie and the consultant, she needed to observe the change in the team's dynamic. She needed to be positive everyone understood their place on the team. She prided herself on the ability of her team to always work seamlessly. This could be a good opportunity to test that.

Goal #2: Shared Positive Experience

The whole day is very memorable, team members will be talking about it for the rest of the year. As such colleagues will share a positive and memorable experience which further develops bonds.

Well, this could be entertaining. However, some carefree experiences could help her team to relax after grueling days spent over horrific cases. Maybe it would help them all improve their social lives… or maybe not. She flipped the page.

Goal #3: Strengths and Talents

Everyone gets fully involved in the day. There are lots of different roles, so team workers will see their colleagues in a whole new light and will have a greater understanding of their strengths and talents.

She frowned at that one. She wasn't sure she wanted everyone knowing her talents. She liked to keep her personal life private and with Jane in the mix, there was no telling what personal information he would be able to glean off them.

Goal #4: Reward

Staff enjoys the day and feels that the company cares about them.

She snickered. That was classic. They could just all go out and buy "The CBI loves me" shirts, and accomplish the same thing. She took a breath. Okay, she would give it a shot before knocking it. She put the book down and rubbed her temples. She hated making stupid decisions under pressure. Well, technically her whole job was bout making decisions under pressure, but those were meaningful decisions, damn it! She glanced out her window in time to see Jane make a running leap onto the couch. Cho and Grace were hard at work, like the good little agents they were, and Rigsby…wait…where was Rigsby? He was probably scrounging around for food. She swore that man would eat her out of house and home, or home and office to be more precise. Okay, next page.

A successful team starts with good leadership to inspire the team to creative and innovative action. For this reason, the best team leaders are infectious self-starters. They are active, energetic, and excited about the task. Great team leaders are also doers and good listeners.

Well, crap. Supposed to be energetic and excited about the task? She could be CBI Barbie. Heh. Go team! Solve that murder! CBI Barbie comes complete with pom-poms and handcuffs. Megaphone and hand gun sold separately. She snorted and was glad no one was near her office. She was making a fool out of herself.

One of the first roles of a team leader is to help others understand the larger issues at stake. A team that appreciates the importance of its goals will be inspired to greater action. By bringing a broader perspective to the team, you will not only inspire it, you will also help it perform more efficiently. A broader perspective helps the team perceive different possible paths towards its goals.

At least they had that part down. Operation arrest California scum was a go. They could all wish for world peace while singing kum-bay-a. That would definitely help them work more efficiently. She was sure Minelli would find it very inspiring, and she'd probably be out of a job.

To be an effective team leader you must understand that people are imperfect human beings with a collection of prejudices, ambitions, and personalities that affect their relationships with other people. On real teams, different personalities will clash and despite talented team members and worthwhile goals, internal conflicts destroy many teams.

Teamwork is vital for success of any organization. Becoming part of a team is a natural part of most people. The majority of employees get there intrinsic rewards and values in an organization from the teaming process. People are social animals that prefer to work together in teams rather than individually. You help your team succeed by being a strong and effective leader.

Well that was inspirational. Thank you, Mr. Motivational. Clearly your product has inspired leaders across the world to make their teams better, and now it's being forced on the CBI. Just wonderful. Now she had to figure out what the hell she was going to do.

45 minutes later, she smiled. It was slightly juvenile and with Jane on the team, it could become a little risky. Oh well, time was of the essence. She typed up her plan and e-mailed it to Minelli. Hopefully, her team would not hate her later.