Forming Successful Teams, an earlier blog, addresses the need for team members to get to know each other and like each other, as a foundation for trusting each other. Is it possible to trust someone without liking them? Perhaps, though not as likely.
Donna quickly gained my trust. She walked into my office, handed me a coke, helped me relax, and began a conversation. In a matter of minutes, she:
- adjusted herself to my obvious feelings
- saw my contribution as valuable
- spoke clearly, and
- became the balancing influence for the issue at hand.
I liked her, and she became my instant hero!
You can become an instant hero of your team by asking yourself these four main questions:
How might I attune myself to my team’s open feelings?
- What might I do to be open with teammates and be sensitive to their changing moods and feelings?
How might I treat teammate’s contributions as valuable?
In other words, how might I:
- Remind myself that there is no such thing as a stupid idea, that every suggestion rates attention, and that every question or complaint deserves concern?
- Show this attitude toward my teammates?
How might I prevent confusion by communicating more clearly?
How might I:
- clarify directions when teammates seem confused?
- Use summarizing and paraphrasing to show teammates that I realize their concerns, and confirm that they understand the tasks assigned to them?
How might I be a harmonizing influence?
Or how might I:
- Look for opportunities to mediate and resolve minor disputes, point constantly toward the team’s higher goals, and (when right) offer to alter my own position to accommodate others.
Questions
- How might I attune myself to my team’s open feelings?
- How might I treat teammate’s contributions as valuable?
- How might I prevent confusion by communicating more clearly?
- How might I be a harmonizing influence?
These questions, even just one, might allow you to be the instant hero of your team.
Chuck Scharenberg is the Founder of More Profit More Freedom, a consultancy that supports the execution of large-scale growth for small businesses. His practice has successfully grown businesses with processes that identify potential roadblocks and mitigation schemes to accelerate realistic execution.
Solving the Right problems by asking the Right questions!