Welcome to Wednesday's updated series "Be a Better Manager."In this 10 part series we will look at a bunch of things we can do to become the kind of manager who transcends the simple idea of "managing." (And become the manager others WISH they were or had!)
Over the last couple weeks we've started looking at ways to be the most awesome manager EVAH! The first post was about building an amazing team and the key to accomplishing that is value. Show people you are working with (be they staff or volunteers) that they are valuable to you and to the organization and you have the cornerstone of a successful team. The second idea we addressed was motivation and how to get your team fired up. Of course, that starts with being motivated yourself. Today we are pondering team-building.
There are two concepts of "team" and thus different approaches to teambuilding.
- Team in the first sense applies to specific projects where a group of people have come together in order to accomplish something. These teams are finite, they might never have worked together before and might never work together again after this project The concept of Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing is generally used to understand how this kind of a group begins to define itself.
- The second sense of team is used in the broader context, that, as an organization we are all working toward a common goal. [When I think of teamwork, I think of Buster Bluth saying "Come on you douchebags! We're all on the same team!" But that's just me. (You can hear him say it at this website!)]
Both concepts are important and it is worth considering your influence over both task teams and the workplace in general.
If you ask people why they don't want to participate in a team, you'll probably find the majority of the reasons come down to interpersonal issues. You have to "go along to get along", work on something that you're not that interested in for the sake of politics, possibly carry other team members who are not doing their fair share of the work... All of these things may go through someone's mind. (Check out
Teams: Love Them; Hate Them by Tom LaForce for thoughts on this.) Be aware of your own feelings about teams too. Have you had really negative experiences with teams? Are you apprehensive about building a feeling of cohesion? Don't let yourself get derailed by preconceptions. Address them head on and figure out how to avoid those scenarios.
Often we only give attention to how well teams are working together when they become dysfunctional. This is unfortunate, but reality. This article, "Why Team Building Doesn't Work & How You CAN Build Your Team" is excellent and addresses the fact that most dysfunctional teams are a symptom of deeper issues. Rather than relying on activities, games or other devices to get us to like one another and work well together, the folks over at Community Driven Institute recommend asking three questions about bad team behavior:
If you are just establishing a team, or trying to build more esprit de corps or morale, you don't want to jump in on the negative. The Learning Center has a useful article I encourage you to check out: "How to Build a Team Using Vision, Commitment & Trust." My thoughts:
Often we only give attention to how well teams are working together when they become dysfunctional. This is unfortunate, but reality. This article, "Why Team Building Doesn't Work & How You CAN Build Your Team" is excellent and addresses the fact that most dysfunctional teams are a symptom of deeper issues. Rather than relying on activities, games or other devices to get us to like one another and work well together, the folks over at Community Driven Institute recommend asking three questions about bad team behavior:
- What is this (the bickering, the absenteeism, etc.) stopping us from doing?
- Why is this (whatever bad behavior is stopping us from doing) important?
- How is this (bad behavior) keeping us from better helping the community?
If you are just establishing a team, or trying to build more esprit de corps or morale, you don't want to jump in on the negative. The Learning Center has a useful article I encourage you to check out: "How to Build a Team Using Vision, Commitment & Trust." My thoughts:
- Vision: I've ranted pretty extensively about the importance of sharing your vision and making sure that team members understand it. Ideally they will also share the vision, but even if they aren't waking up in the morning thinking about it, they can still get behind it.
- Commitment: Everyone gets to a point of commitment at a different speed and through a slightly different process. Open communication can help people get there more quickly and keep them happier longer.
- Trust: You must also begin to establish trust between you and the team, and between team members. Do what you say you're going to, be transparent and authentic, encourage constructive and honest feedback. We also tend to trust those we are familiar with. Providing opportunties to get to know one another beyond just name and rank allow us to begin trusting each other.
- Inclusion: This goes back to demonstrating the value that your team members have. Building a team by fiat will not work well. Build the expectation of a healthy team by soliciting input and feedback from your team.
- Help Exchange: Your team knows what's up. They have a ton of knowledge and that is what will make this whole endeavor successful. Get the conversation going!
I came across some more really interesting resources on building up your team. Check these out!
Dispelling Myths About Teams - this article is right on target. Written about 10 years ago, it reflects the hot trend that self-directed teams were. (And still are in some industries!) Although the author is a consultant for gigantic companies like auto manufacturers, there are valuable lessons for the nonprofit world.
The 12 C's of Team Building - I'm a big fan of About.com and this article has useful info. I also appreciate the fact that the kind of "team building" they are talking about here really applies to the whole organization team versus a small specific project team.
Team Motivation - continuing the discussion from last week on motivation, the ideas or practices that get a team of people fired up to accomplish a goal are not necessarily the same things that get an individual fired up. And providing an environment that is motivating is most certainly a way to build or maintain a cohesive, functional team. An excellent quote from the article:
But great leaders also understand the importance of team purpose, challenge, camaraderie, responsibility, and growth, and focus much of their time on creating the conditions for these to exist.
What about the much-maligned trust exercises and team building games?
Is there no purpose in blindfolding grown adults and making them build protective egg baskets? Many of these activities seem cheesy because they don't reflect the culture of your organization or they are being used in place of real conversation. If the woman in the next cubicle is a back stabbing so-and-so who shoots down any idea and sucks the life out a meeting, it is hard to envision falling backward into her arms in a trust exercise.
That being said, I think that one of the best ways to help people enjoy their work and be a productive team member is to play!
Is there no purpose in blindfolding grown adults and making them build protective egg baskets? Many of these activities seem cheesy because they don't reflect the culture of your organization or they are being used in place of real conversation. If the woman in the next cubicle is a back stabbing so-and-so who shoots down any idea and sucks the life out a meeting, it is hard to envision falling backward into her arms in a trust exercise.
That being said, I think that one of the best ways to help people enjoy their work and be a productive team member is to play!
- Make certain you are addressing the real underlying issues of any disfunction.
- Don't focus on playing so much that you lose productivity.
- Ask team members to select activities that sound at least somewhat appealing to them.
- Acknowledge that any group activity could be cheesy but if everyone can just get over themselves and stop worrying about looking cool, they might enjoy it. (Uh, deliver that one with some self-deprecating humor if possible!)
- Allow time for getting to learn about one another as well.
- Limit aggressive competition.
If you'd like some ideas on icebreakers, games, challenges and other activities to help you create a fun team atmosphere, check out the following links.
As I'm discovering with so many things, being an excellent manager starts with intent. It is a process of moving ever-closer to an ideal environment, useful structures and happy team members that does not require perfection.
Come back next Wednesday for the next installment of "Be a Better Manager" so we can talk about the subject that launched a thousand books - Leadership!
