All for One...

I was working with a team over the course of the last year to enhance their working dynamic.  Just before our last session I met with the team’s functional boss who remarked that things had improved quite a bit.  His parting comment to me was that he’d like his team to work together as well in rough waters as it does in smooth waters.

Isn’t that the ticket?  We all want that!  The only way we can build a team that weathers the stormy waters is to have a team that knows how to relate when the winds are softer.  If a team can’t master it then, they  won’t stand a chance in the tough times. However, when we build healthy and respectful habits into our team relationships we have a foundation to protect us when things get rough.

When you take a good close look at teams that survive and thrive it really comes down to 5 relationship habits:

• They focus on current circumstances, and they know each other. They adjust their expectations of one another and they worry less about what should be, and more about what is.

• They are each committed to the team’s goals, they know what needs to be done and they are willing to dive for the ball even if another member ought to be doing more.

• They each assume everyone else has the same commitment, even if it doesn’t seem like it sometimes.

• They each ask for what they need.  Healthy teams keep talking about what is wrong, but they do it in a way that encourages improvement.

• They give each other feedback and they cushion it  with kindness. “I know you don’t mean to do this”.... 'I don’t mean to call you out here...".  "I know it has gotten a lot better lately, however…"

the "Team Player" 

I’m skeptical when someone describes themselves as a "team player", especially when they continue to describe all the wonderful qualities that make them a value to a team.  The reason this challenges me is because so much of our team effectiveness requires that we leave our ego at the door. Our participation on a team can’t be a competitive exercise.  It’s more about trust, grace and patience; elevating others, bringing  weak members along and opening our minds to the inspiration of alternate perspectives.  

As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "No member of a crew is praised for the rugged individuality of his rowing".

We all belong to teams. It is the construct of our lives; families, work crews or departments, neighborhoods. It is so much more rewarding  to acknowledge that state of  belonging and to enjoy the relationship and energy that can bring us, than to stay in our own agenda and go it alone.

imagecredit: corepics.com