LEADING SOCIAL INDICATORS OF A TRUE TEAM

I recently wrote about certain visible behaviours which betray a poor performance culture. This short article will outline some of the subtle behavioural indicators of a true team in any setting; a team much more likely to achieve a high-performance culture based on my observations and experience.

The first element is basic courtesy – this is such a fundamental one. It manifests in various daily interfaces such as greeting colleagues when you see them, and responding to communications in a timely fashion. It needs to be a two-way street; if it feels like one party is constantly having to initiate the courtesy, there is no true team.

The second element is basic trust – this builds on courtesy. A true team has formed and “stormed” to the extent that trust has been earned… It allows for personal growth and for individual expression to benefit the collective. If concerns about trust are regularly voiced, or micro-management is in evidence, there is no true team.

The third element is basic empathy – this builds on courtesy and trust. It means that team members are interested in the challenges of colleagues and that they seek to understand different points of view. If there is no sense that team mates genuinely care or can step into the shoes of others, there is no true team.

The fourth element is basic energy – this is an essential ingredient in any successful team. Energy can be seen and sensed, as can lethargy – an opposite element synonymous with poor performance and disjointed teams. If there is a lack of energy, there is no true team, at least not one that is likely to achieve high performance!

Bringing it all together; in my experience, true teams consist of courteous individuals with high levels of trust, genuine empathy and high energy. These elements can be detected in a relatively short space of time. Deficiencies in any of these areas will detract from team togetherness and prevent high performance. Get the basic elements in place and build a true team.