A team is a whole entity made up of a group of people.
It seems obvious, but in practice, I keep meeting team leaders who do not understand the notion of a team, privileging the individual relationship over the collective one.
There are many reasons to favor one-on-one relationships: direct, flexible, and efficient. Thus, leaders continue to schedule bilaterals during which decisions are made and use team sessions to pass on information, instruct objectives, and ask for status updates…
And at the same time – according to the feedback from those in the field that I regularly hear during my team coaching or training sessions – too many bilateral meetings are canceled.
Treat a team as a whole
Contemporary leadership -transformational leadership- assumes the empowerment of functions based on the understanding of the expected destination.
A team has its own identity (Example: What would it be if it were an animal?)
They know where they are going and are autonomous in their areas of expertise and responsibility.
The team is aware of the value of the collective and spends time together to discuss, learn, align and support each other.
A team has its own identity (Example: What would it be if it were an animal?)
Maintain or build team spirit
Team building activities in the outdoors are very popular with executives. These outings create a particular space and allow a different quality of relationship. Moreover, these actions help launch a project or boost morale. But it is not always possible to organize them at the most valuable time.
A simple and inexpensive tactic to ignite the entity’s spirit is group debriefing.
Behaviorists say that debriefing regularly as a team increases team productivity by 20%.
In this phase of rising energy (as I write this, the days are getting longer), why not experiment with a team briefing at the next session?
- it’s unifying
- ignites the curiosity of all
- aligns the perceptions
A few engaging questions
Here are some questions that have proven to be effective:
During the past period (month, quarter, last six months, even year)
– What were your most potent anxieties as a team?
– What were your worst flops of the year as a team?
– What were the moments of intense doubt as a team?
– What will we not soon forget about this year?
As a result of this collective (often caring) conversation, trust that each person will be able to think about their [best] contribution in the months ahead.
Let yourself be surprised by their proposals and give them well-articulated feedback of recognition without delay.
