We are all individuals with unique personalities,
capabilities and quirks. We each bring something different
to the table. Experience, skills, talents, expectations. It
might surprise you to learn that difference among team
members is actually the beginning of synergy.
You can choose to see difference as a reason for not
getting along or as an obstacle to moving toward team
goals. Unsuccessful teams are certainly known to be prone
to doing that. And, when you hold these views you should
expect to spend more time attempting to mediate conflicts
and resolve issues that are impeding communication and
compromising productivity than dealing with tasks on your
critical path.
Or, you can capitalize on difference so that, at the end of
the day, the sum of the parts is greater than that of the
whole. For successful teams cooperative, joint effort
delivers an end result which independent action could not
have achieved. There is little wasted time or energy
required to manage expectations and massage egos.
Critical to working synergistically is ensuring each person
on the team knows and has shared the answer to the
following questions:
1. What she or he REQUIRES from others working on the team.
2. What she or he REQUESTS from others working on the team.
3. What she or he REFUSES TO TOLERATE from others working
on the team.
The first step then is giving the team members the time to
consider their response to these questions and permission
to answer them honestly, without fear of reprisal.
The next step is creating an opportunity for the team
members to share their personal requirements with one
another. As the team leader, you are responsible for making
sure this conversation takes place early on in the team
relationship, preferably before any other requirements are
discussed as a team.
Once this has taken place, you are ready to discharge other
matters critical to the team's business such as defining
your mission, values, objectives, goals, tasks, timelines,
resource requirements, constraints, success criteria,
performance measures and status reporting metrics.
Synergy starts with communicating openly and honestly with
one another, is reinforced by committing to and working
toward common goals, and ends with sharing the glory of
achievement despite adversity. At the start of the day it's
all about possibilities but, at the end of the day it's
only about your results.
Embracing difference is the key to success because the
opposite of success isn’t failure, it’s
conformity. And the choice is always yours.
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Download more free career tips and advice at
http://www.smartstartcoach.com
Career advancement expert and mentor Linda M. Lopeke is a
leading authority on how to succeed in the 21st century
workplace and the creator of SMARTSTART Mentoring Programs:
Success-to-go for people working @ the speed of life!
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