I was at a training course recently and in one of the breakout discussions we were asked to identify a time when we had worked in a great team, and to explore exactly what made it great. We came up with all the usual stuff that we know makes teams work: shared purpose, role clarity, trust, collaboration and of course, plenty of biscuits. What struck me in my reflections about the wonderful people that I work with (shout out to the Workforce Development posse!), is how good it feels to work in a team where people spend time being together.
We are deeply social beings, we exist in relationship to each other, we define our identities in relationship to each other, and we know that trusted, meaningful relationships are one of the most important factors in our motivation, engagement, wellbeing and ultimately in our success. We know that those of us with close connections at work are more productive, creative and collaborative. Strong relationships are crucial for building the trust, exchange of ideas and commitment that we need to build high performing teams. Countless religions and philosophies emphasise our fundamental interconnectedness. Yet we also know that many of us feel isolated or disconnected and that one in five people worldwide feel lonely at work. We are so busy doing, achieving, answering emails, or just getting through it all that often we don’t have the time or the emotional capacity to be present, to connect, to just be together.
‘So what exactly are we supposed to do about this!?’, I hear you cry. I certainly don’t have all the answers and there is just no way to get around de-prioritising some things in order to re-prioritise others. But perhaps if we could all consciously prioritise just a little more time and energy to build our relationships at work, not only would we feel better, but we would also work better together – understand each other better, communicate better, collaborate better.
These questions might help you explore where to begin:
- What actions can you take to build strong bonds and to encourage strong bonds between others?
- What can you do to really listen to colleagues? How can you encourage others to really listen to each other?
- What connection time can you build into the structure of your week? (And what will you stop doing to make time for it?)
If you manage people and would like to explore how we can help you build a stronger team, please fill in this form: Learning & Organisational Development Commissioning form
And if you fancy listening to Jack Johnson sing beautifully about why we’re better together (makes me cry every time!) go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seZMOTGCDag
Resources:
Lencioni's five dysfunctions of a team
Respond