As fun as it might be to live in the magical world of Harry Potter, sadly we don't. And there's no "silver bullet" to fix issues. If you're someone who knows your team can be better and wants it to be better, here are a two that will help quickly!
- Make RECOGNITION a resource
This goes way beyond just saying "thanks" to a team member. Developing the ability to both give & receive gratitude authentically is a must. These human skills are a great way to increase psychological safety on your team. With this improvement, team members will feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable with teammates. They move from doing things to "be safe" on the team to providing evidence of their trustworthiness. It's only when people feel safe that behaviors of trust can flourish. If your team is suffering from the growing resentment of unexpressed gratitude, recognition is the first place to start.
To diagnose your current state, ponder this statement:
"If I make a mistake on our team, it is not held against me."
-Google's "Project Aristotle"
Responses will tell you how much pumping fear out of the room through recognition is needed!
- Play to your STRENGTHS
Jim Collins classic book "Good to Great" has come up several times recently. These occasions have reminded me of this point he makes:
"Look, I don't really know where we should take this bus. But I know this much: If we get the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats...then we'll figure out how to take it someplace great."
To be our most effective (and efficient) selves we must play to our strengths. Our potential for greatness goes up exponentially when we're working in areas we're gifted to do. Working in a weakness area, only to bring the skill up to mediocre, doesn't make sense. Playing to your strengths is positioning for performance & contribution and is the only way to get results. The hard first step here is that in order to gain more of what only we can do we have to let go. The secret to concentration is elimination.
In both cases, what we're talking about is developing your character, self-reliance, foresight & courage. Leadership skills.
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