With the way today’s organisations are structured you probably work as part of team, even if it is a virtual one. Working in a team means getting work done with, through, and for others – and the thing about other people, is that they are different! It is this difference that makes team work both exciting and frustrating.
An important realisation when working in a team is that the way you perceive and respond to the world (your personality) is NOT the “Right Way” or “The Only Way” to do things. This realisation reduces our frustration and opens us to the possibility of collaboration rather than compromise.
The team work cycle highlights the need for different personalities. Some people are better at generating ideas, some at evaluating ideas, some at making decisions and others at execution (implementation). If everyone on the team were the same, then some parts of the team work cycle would be left out.
Most team issues are due to a lack of effective communication resulting in people becoming aggressive creating conflict or becoming passive and de-motivated. The key self-leadership skill for team members is therefore ‘assertive communication.’
Communication occurs when those involve have shared meaning and understanding. Since we don’t know what something means to someone unless we ask, communication involves asking questions and getting clarification. It also means speaking up (assertive) so that others know your meanings and understandings about what and how things should be done.
Assertive team communication has been made more complex in the virtual world where we don’t have non-verbal cues and we have to factor in cultural differences in speech styles and meanings.
In my experience, what remains a constant for high performing teams is that the following things are communicated and understood by all.
- Vision - How this work/project is important to the company and the team members.
- Group Identity – That we are all on the same team and all benefit from the success of the work.
- Role Clarity – That we each have a role to play and that role is clearly defined.
- Trust - We are all different but we can trust each other to do the work to the best of our abilities.
- Recognition - Each of us will do our best for the team and appreciate others for doing the same.
- Communication - We will both listen to others and speak up as appropriate so that everyone shares an understanding of what is possible at each stage of the work cycle.
- Celebration - We will celebrate together with each milestone we reach.
How does your team measure up? What can you do to make sure these things are communicated?
Have a good day at work.
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