Positive Team Behaviour!

“As you enter this place of work please choose to make today a great day. Your colleagues, customers, team members, and you yourself will be thankful. Find ways to play. We can be serious about our work without being serious about ourselves. Stay focused in order to be present when your customers and team members most need you. And should you feel your energy lapsing, try this surefire remedy: Find someone who needs a helping hand, a word of support, or a good ear - and make their day.”

― Stephen C. Lundi (from the book "Fish!: A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results")

 

In order to develop a strong and effective team, it is vital for every team member to exhibit positive behaviour and attitudes. This task is sometime easier said that done but the results are undeniable.

 

What does positive team behaviour entail?

•  showing respect and proper listening skills to your other teammates
•  clearly defining problems and providing constructive and realistic solutions
•  encouragement of other team members thoughts and ideas. Give positive feedback!

I recently read a book entitled "Fish! A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results" which was a great book that tells the story of a manager who is trying to make her department an effective, positive team. It addresses the current issues facing most departments (i.e. burnout, feelings of being unappreciated) and it talks about some of the struggles in trying to remain positive in a team setting and also how to be a positive and energetic team player. 

 

You must remember that your team is working towards a common goal and that everyone plays an important role in order for that team to function.  A positive attitude is contagious :)

Successful Team Building

In any company, it is always a good idea to have to a strong team but it doesn't often come easily. Team building, like anything else, takes time and patience but one may ask....

What are some characteristics in building an effective team?

Size and Diversity

• Teams can range in any size but an ideal size is anywhere from 4 to 6 people. It is very difficult to be constructive and communicate in larger groups

• It is always a great idea to have a diverse group of people on your team whether it is different gender, race, religion, social background, etc.  A diverse group provides feedback and ideas from different points of view that you might not have previously thought of. It allows for a broader range of ideas and creativity 

Agreement on Purpose and Procedures

• Teams are typically formed with a purpose or goal in mind. It is beneficial that the team agrees and understands what the purpose of the team is and by doing so, the discussions and actions will be more meaningful

• Having procedures and structure to the team is critical. Procedures should be set in place at the beginning before any further actions and discussions are put into place

Confronting Conflicts and Avoiding Competition

• In a successful team, conflicts are unavoidable. It is important that these conflicts are task oriented and not person oriented, which sometimes can be. Conflict should be dealt with once it comes up (in a team or in your life) otherwise it distracts you from what you are doing and can take up much energy that could have been refocused on more productive things. It is important to "air out" the room if there are conflicts
• As a team, try to strive to achieve the goal of the group and not just yourself. Avoid competition as it may lead to conflicts

Ethical Responsibilities

• As a team, you have a responsibility to your company and society that your actions are ethically responsible and would not endanger anyone or anything

Shared Leadership and Good Communication Skills

• Often in team activities, the role of the leader of the group is rotated, allowing equal opportunities for all team members to test our their leadership skills. However, in times of crisis, it is a good idea to designate one individual as the leader
• Good communication skills are learned and it can only be improved with trial and error. This may lead to conflicts but its the act of proper communication that a team can achieve their goal. In a good team, you should be able to freely expression your opinion and even encourage each other positively. This can be done verbally or even through body language

In my opinion, all of this comes down to good and proper communication and cooperation. If you don't have the ability to communicate, none of these characteristics could happen.

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results" 
                                                                                                     - Andrew Carnegie
 
Teamwork is a definite asset in today's world of business and education but it is a acquired skill, one which can be very difficult to improve and can be very challenging. Every work environment is different and there are always different personalities that you may have to work with.

At my work place, I run a department so I am always interested in getting more feed back on building a successful team and I admit that it can be very difficult at time but the perseverance often has AMAZING results. 

What do you think is good characteristic to have in order to build a successful team? I'd love to hear them :)




REFERENCES
30 Top Team Building Quotes. Retrieved from http://www.leadership-with-you.com/team-building-quotes.html