Often when I facilitate a team-coaching program, the first thing I request of participants is “Tell us about the best team you were ever a part of.” Many will name sports teams from when they were young. Some remember, fondly, being part of a group who was either supporting or opposing a cause. Rarely, unfortunately, do people mention a work group. This is despite the fact they have spent, and will spend, many more hours with people at work than they ever had on a Little League diamond or saving whales.
I think there are a few aspects many office teams lack and with a bit of attention could become huge predictors for success.
Let’s start with the hardest, the foundation of any group — trust. Levels of trust vary with the mix, intensity, time together, and charge. The person you marry surely needs to exhibit more trustworthy behavior than the person in the next office or cubicle with whom you’re putting together a presentation. However, keep in mind; tests of you and your co-worker’s trustworthiness probably come up more often than they do with your partner.
The most difficult executive for me to engage in executive coaching is the leader whose employees don’t trust him or her. How do I know they don’t trust the leader? Often they tell me flat out. In fact, in many instances, they are eager to tell me because, as they put it, “no one ever asked.” Or, it becomes apparent in 360 review answers where issues around trust are addressed in a number of questions given to raters. Another clue is when I see executives struggling to get honest answers or full support from their employees in difficult times. All are indications a foundation of trust is not present and we have a dysfunctional team.
When coaching such an executive, I often ask if he or she is trustworthy. Does your behavior say, “I can’t be trusted?” Do you go back on your promises, lie, or lie by omission? Do people see you cheating a customer, other employees, or even the organization? Can I rely on you to show up, do a good job, and pull your weight? If you are guilty of any of these, or if you supervisor is, then trust cannot exist.
It’s easier to build trust than rebuild trust but it is not impossible to start again.
Trust has and needs a sequence to establish if it is to be solid and long-lasting.
First, people need to know one another. This can start with a simple icebreaker at a team gathering where people disclose simple bio nuggets like how they came to have their name or where they were born. A casual chat during the workday or getting together after work is an obvious but often an overlooked way to know someone.
I like integrating the MBTI (Myers-Briggs) instrument into teams. It gives people an appreciation for the commonality and diversity of the members, and how each can make a contribution.
There is something to be said for concentrated time together and a lot about being truly interested in the other person. The supervisor who claims they don’t want to get “too close” to their staff is often one who can’t and won’t trust themselves, or others because they really don’t know them.
After knowing one another, the relationship moves to like. This refers to enjoying working with the person, not necessarily being friends or confidants. I found the more interaction I had with people; the more likely I was to enjoy their company. As an introvert this can take some effort, but the payoff is big.
Only with “know and like” developed can you really trust someone. Only then can you give them the opportunity to prove their trustworthiness and gel as a new team.
Commitment: I often ask new teams, “Are you an owner or a renter of this job/career?” We all have a sense of who is and who isn’t. A team has trouble coming together if some members are present only for the paycheck and others are totally in and future-focused. It’s a good idea to solicit commitment from each member with regard to who’s responsible for what, the when and how.
Commitment is often tested when things go wrong.
Committed teams work to a new solution rather than waste time blaming and finger pointing. The best way to predict commitment is past behavior. I want to know — when was the last time a group project went wrong? What was their role in the solution? How was it for them during the process? It can be very telling and an excellent predictor of future behavior.
I have said it many times — teams that only focus on results never achieve excellence in comparison to groups who build trust, hold each other accountable, and buy-in to the work with a steady and high level of commitment. Excellent results are the outcome of the high functioning team.
Two essential elements of a high functioning team are a high level of trust and commitment. Without them, the team is only a group of people. Without trust and commitment, time is wasted blaming and avoiding. Without trust and commitment, people are quick to leave or transfer out. Without trust and commitment, stellar results are not possible.
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