This is the sixth article in a seven part series. Read the first, second, third, fourthand fifth articles. In a study of over 4,000 people, guess what percentage said that their team would be more effective if they were better at holding each other accountable? 89%! 89% of people said that their team would be MORE effective, simply by holding each other accountable to what they said they would do. So, why don’t we do it? Because it’s uncomfortable! But do you want to know what is more uncomfortable? Not achieving results, not hitting budget, falling short of your KPI’s, having
teamwork
Achieving Commitment
This is the fifth article in a seven part series. Read the first, second, third and fourth articles. Now that your team trust one another, and they are willing to speak up and engage in healthy conflict, a decision still needs to be made and everyone needs to get on board with it. How is this possible? When team members feel heard and have had a chance to lay out their opinions and ideas, they are more likely to commit to team decisions, even if they initially disagreed with it. There are two key factors for commitment; buy-in and clarity. Team members must all be willing to
Productive Conflict
This is the fourth article in a seven part series. Read the first, second and third articles. As discussed in my previous article, Trust is the foundation on which the other 4 behaviours are built. Once team members trust one another, they are able to engage in unfiltered and constructive debate without the fear of being judged or reprimanded. Conflict within teams can be both healthy and productive, as long as it remains focused on issues and solutions, not on people. How it looks and sounds will vary across teams, organisations and cultures, and even depending on the personalities
Vulnerability Based Trust
This is the third article in a seven part series. Read the first and second articles. Let me ask you a question; at work, are you comfortable asking for help, admitting mistakes and limitations, and offering feedback? What about others on your team, how would they answer? Great teams trust one another on a fundamental, emotional level, and they are comfortable being vulnerable with each other about their weaknesses, mistakes, fears, and behaviours. In a survey of over 4,000 people, 84% of respondents said they would trust their co-workers more if those co-workers admitted their
The Five Behaviours of a Cohesive Team
In my last article, I spoke about the five dysfunctions of a team. If you haven’t read that article, I suggest you start there before reading on. If you have read it, let’s keep going. We identified five of the reasons that teams become dysfunctional as: an absence of trust, no conflict amongst team members, a lack of commitment, no peer to peer accountability and the lack of team focused results. So, if these behaviours are lacking in a dysfunctional team, how do they play out in a cohesive team? Vulnerability-Based Trust: All great teams are built on the foundation of trust, and
