Your Secret Weapon: Teamwork and Attitude
We have been told since we were kids about the importance of attitude. And now that we’re all grown up, the concept of attitude has been replaced with having a proper mindset! I want to make one thing clear, attitude is mindset and mindset is attitude. It can have a negative influence on the team you have today, the team you are redesigning today or the team you are builiding today. But what is attitude and how does it influence a team?
Attitude can best be defined as the composite of our thoughts, feelings and actions. As someone who has been on many different teams, ranging from sports to leadership, I can tell you from personal experience that it only takes one bad attitude to affect the rest of the team, not only from a performance point of view, but also emotionally, intellectually, even physically and spiritually. It only takes one ‘Negative Nellie’ to bring spirits down. The saying “one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch” comes to mind.
My experience working on teams has proven to me the importance of “getting the right people on the bus” as Jim Collins writes in his book, From Good to Great. The real problem of having a bad attitude is that it becomes a habit, one that is hard to break and one that can only be tackled by the person with the bad attitude! It really doesn’t matter how many times a leader speaks with or disciplines the individual, unless the culprit wants to make changes – change his/her mindset, and is committed to developing a positive attitude, change is impossible. Remember it takes thirty days to create a new habit. That is thirty days of continual attention being paid to the new desired habit. If one isn’t committed to the new idea, and doesn’t really believe that there is a need to change, or is in the habit of blaming others for poor outcomes, it will be impossible to see any lasting positive change.
Let’s think about how a team works. We all agree that there must be a leader, someone who makes decisions, someone to get things started, someone to do the work and someone to make sure that things get completed. Of course, this is simplified and in any given situation, the roles of the team ‘players’ may change, and in fact, any one player may have more than one role. When one team member takes on a negative position – it can spread like a cancerous tumour to the other members, introducing discontent, discouragement, unwarranted competitiveness, a lack of commitment to the goals of the organization, ending with poor results.
Now, take a look at your team. If you are the team leader, it is especially important to examine your own mindset. Often we don’t recognize our own contribution as having a negative effect. As leaders, do we encourage open communication between the team members? Do we allow for the individuals to express their ideas, concerns and encouragements in project development? Do we hear new ideas in an environment that is non-confrontational and non-threatening? Are we allowing each team member the opportunity to have input? Or are we relying on “higher-ups” to dictate the actions of the team? These are just a few of the questions that need to be addressed when examining our leadership abilities and habits. Yes, I said habits! We are all creatures of habits and the workplace is full of them. It doesn’t matter if you are working in an office or on a production line, habits are present. Some habits are required for daily functioning of the company, like opening the mail or inspecting machinery. Some habits are not only not necessary but they are detrimental to a functional team and working together as one.
There is a fine line that requires respect when dealing with members of a team. In order to empower your team, each member needs to be recognized as an individual and at the same time as a member of the team. This means allowing individual expression, and respecting the idea that is put forward. I’m not talking about winning a popularity contest by allowing team members to dictate the operations of the organization, rather allowing them to make positive contributions at appropriate times.
As team members, we are also required to respect our leader and take on a leadership position whenever it is required. Leadership doesn’t always come with a title! True acts of leadership involve daily encouragement, and setting behavioral and attitudinal examples. We can all be leaders in this sense. We need to monitor our own behavior and ask ourselves if we have been adding to, or subtracting from, the productivity of the team.
How does a team develop a positive mindset? How does a team overcome a negative culture? These questions are not as easy to answer as you might think and require a detailed assessment of the team. To get started though, I believe there are three concepts mandatory for the development of great team habits and attitudes. The first one being clarity.
Teams need to have a clear idea about the where the organization is headed and why! It is important for the organization to know what it values. It is so much easier when team members have a common goal and know what is expected of each member. What is critical here is for each member to understand their role, and their contribution to the operation of the team as a whole. This has to start from the top! The ‘powers that be’ have to have a clear sense of what and where the organization is going. If this is missing, you are steering a ship without a rudder! I won’t belabour the need for written, clearly defined goals here, suffice it to say clarity is the first step necessary in developing a team mindset.
The next obvious step is communicating the purpose, vision and goals of the organization to its team members. This step is sometimes overlooked or passed by as being unnecessary, after all most employees know what their company produces…. or do they? In some situations, the team is so far removed from the actual product or service that they just don’t get how they fit in, or why their role is important. In fact, I’ve seen some team leaders who are unclear on exactly that. My advice is to take the time to develop a communication practice that keeps everyone informed and involved. There are many ways to keep the corporate goals first and foremost in an employees mind, get creative! Ask your team how they want to be communicated with. Never forget that communication is a two-way street. Take the time to make your team feel important and involved with the productivity and profitability of the company.
The third and most indicative step is commitment. This is where the rubber hits the road! In a sense this is how and where you pick your team, and your team picks you. What I’m talking about is gaining ‘buy-in’ for the goals and objectives of the organization, and a commitment from the team members in their pursuit. This step is necessary in identifying the ‘right people on the bus’. In some cases, de-selection is necessary.
When it comes to commitment, respect is a required attitude. Even the best employee may decide that their personal goals and ideals are at odds with the goals and ideals of the organization. This only leads to inner conflict and poor performance and in extreme cases sabotage. If a team member indicates that this is the case, it is better to part ways early so that all concerned can move forward and foster good will. Still at other times, the commitment is there, although it may be weak and based on fear rather than being in alignment with the purpose and vision of the organization. Whatever the case may be, if you need to change members, decide and act quickly, in fairness to all concerned.
THE BOTTOM LINE – Once clarity, communication and commitment are gained you have the basis for creating a team culture of success, encouraging good habits and a disciplined approach to your team. Take advantage of teamwork and boost your competitive advantage.
Attitude can best be defined as the composite of our thoughts, feelings and actions. As someone who has been on many different teams, ranging from sports to leadership, I can tell you from personal experience that it only takes one bad attitude to affect the rest of the team, not only from a performance point of view, but also emotionally, intellectually, even physically and spiritually. It only takes one ‘Negative Nellie’ to bring spirits down. The saying “one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch” comes to mind.
My experience working on teams has proven to me the importance of “getting the right people on the bus” as Jim Collins writes in his book, From Good to Great. The real problem of having a bad attitude is that it becomes a habit, one that is hard to break and one that can only be tackled by the person with the bad attitude! It really doesn’t matter how many times a leader speaks with or disciplines the individual, unless the culprit wants to make changes – change his/her mindset, and is committed to developing a positive attitude, change is impossible. Remember it takes thirty days to create a new habit. That is thirty days of continual attention being paid to the new desired habit. If one isn’t committed to the new idea, and doesn’t really believe that there is a need to change, or is in the habit of blaming others for poor outcomes, it will be impossible to see any lasting positive change.
Let’s think about how a team works. We all agree that there must be a leader, someone who makes decisions, someone to get things started, someone to do the work and someone to make sure that things get completed. Of course, this is simplified and in any given situation, the roles of the team ‘players’ may change, and in fact, any one player may have more than one role. When one team member takes on a negative position – it can spread like a cancerous tumour to the other members, introducing discontent, discouragement, unwarranted competitiveness, a lack of commitment to the goals of the organization, ending with poor results.
Now, take a look at your team. If you are the team leader, it is especially important to examine your own mindset. Often we don’t recognize our own contribution as having a negative effect. As leaders, do we encourage open communication between the team members? Do we allow for the individuals to express their ideas, concerns and encouragements in project development? Do we hear new ideas in an environment that is non-confrontational and non-threatening? Are we allowing each team member the opportunity to have input? Or are we relying on “higher-ups” to dictate the actions of the team? These are just a few of the questions that need to be addressed when examining our leadership abilities and habits. Yes, I said habits! We are all creatures of habits and the workplace is full of them. It doesn’t matter if you are working in an office or on a production line, habits are present. Some habits are required for daily functioning of the company, like opening the mail or inspecting machinery. Some habits are not only not necessary but they are detrimental to a functional team and working together as one.
There is a fine line that requires respect when dealing with members of a team. In order to empower your team, each member needs to be recognized as an individual and at the same time as a member of the team. This means allowing individual expression, and respecting the idea that is put forward. I’m not talking about winning a popularity contest by allowing team members to dictate the operations of the organization, rather allowing them to make positive contributions at appropriate times.
As team members, we are also required to respect our leader and take on a leadership position whenever it is required. Leadership doesn’t always come with a title! True acts of leadership involve daily encouragement, and setting behavioral and attitudinal examples. We can all be leaders in this sense. We need to monitor our own behavior and ask ourselves if we have been adding to, or subtracting from, the productivity of the team.
How does a team develop a positive mindset? How does a team overcome a negative culture? These questions are not as easy to answer as you might think and require a detailed assessment of the team. To get started though, I believe there are three concepts mandatory for the development of great team habits and attitudes. The first one being clarity.
Teams need to have a clear idea about the where the organization is headed and why! It is important for the organization to know what it values. It is so much easier when team members have a common goal and know what is expected of each member. What is critical here is for each member to understand their role, and their contribution to the operation of the team as a whole. This has to start from the top! The ‘powers that be’ have to have a clear sense of what and where the organization is going. If this is missing, you are steering a ship without a rudder! I won’t belabour the need for written, clearly defined goals here, suffice it to say clarity is the first step necessary in developing a team mindset.
The next obvious step is communicating the purpose, vision and goals of the organization to its team members. This step is sometimes overlooked or passed by as being unnecessary, after all most employees know what their company produces…. or do they? In some situations, the team is so far removed from the actual product or service that they just don’t get how they fit in, or why their role is important. In fact, I’ve seen some team leaders who are unclear on exactly that. My advice is to take the time to develop a communication practice that keeps everyone informed and involved. There are many ways to keep the corporate goals first and foremost in an employees mind, get creative! Ask your team how they want to be communicated with. Never forget that communication is a two-way street. Take the time to make your team feel important and involved with the productivity and profitability of the company.
The third and most indicative step is commitment. This is where the rubber hits the road! In a sense this is how and where you pick your team, and your team picks you. What I’m talking about is gaining ‘buy-in’ for the goals and objectives of the organization, and a commitment from the team members in their pursuit. This step is necessary in identifying the ‘right people on the bus’. In some cases, de-selection is necessary.
When it comes to commitment, respect is a required attitude. Even the best employee may decide that their personal goals and ideals are at odds with the goals and ideals of the organization. This only leads to inner conflict and poor performance and in extreme cases sabotage. If a team member indicates that this is the case, it is better to part ways early so that all concerned can move forward and foster good will. Still at other times, the commitment is there, although it may be weak and based on fear rather than being in alignment with the purpose and vision of the organization. Whatever the case may be, if you need to change members, decide and act quickly, in fairness to all concerned.
THE BOTTOM LINE – Once clarity, communication and commitment are gained you have the basis for creating a team culture of success, encouraging good habits and a disciplined approach to your team. Take advantage of teamwork and boost your competitive advantage.
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