Applying TeamWisdom: Taking Personal Responsibility Helps the Whole Team
Are you unhappy or frustrated at work?
Have you thought this about your team:
- “I can’t be responsible for the quality of my team’s efforts.”
- “Getting on a good team is mostly a matter of luck.”
- “If I’m part of a poorly functioning team, and I’m not in charge, there is little I can do but bear it.”
These kinds of thoughts take an enormous toll — they result in lost productivity and low morale of the individual, the team, and the whole organization.
After years of studying team behavior and coaching business leaders, I can tell you that the most successful people demonstrate another set of beliefs and skills about teamwork which in my book Teamwork Is An Individual Skill I call “TeamWisdom.”
People with TeamWisdom:
- understand and act on all of their personal abilities to affect the entire team’s effectiveness
- know that being in a good team isn’t random, it’s a function of one’s relationship behavior and what they and others do
- take personal responsibility for the quality of their relationships. They never wait for those “in charge” to notice and act on a situation that needs attention
Do you want your experience at work to improve? Try this: consider your most recent team experience. Would you give yourself a high rating for your (not anyone else’s) TeamWisdom?
The quality of your participation affects the quality of the team’s results. Instead of expecting a mediocre team experience or just hoping for a better one, raise your own standards for — and commitment to — great team performance.
Make Teamwork an Individual Skill — Start Being More Responsible For Your Own Team Experience!
- recognize that you are not a passive recipient in teams — your behavior shapes and affects the team
- acknowledge that not attending to team performance is a choice and that you are choosing to put yourself at the mercy of change and will most likely be frustrated with the outcome
- accept that if you are in a situation of shared responsibility and reward, the quality and productivity of the relationships are worthy of your focus — your input matters
If you start with just these three steps, you’ll transform you experience with teamwork!