Team dynamics have never been more vital in today's ever-changing and complex workplace. Teams that had previously worked closely together have been forced to physically disband, go through various life-changing experiences, and, in some cases, come back—sort of.
It's possible that your team now has quite varied perspectives on what their "new normal" looks and feels like, both collectively and individually.
Hybrid working, shifting human incentives, and ever-changing business goals have rendered some earlier leadership approaches to teamwork obsolete. Listening and demonstrating emotional intelligence are talents that all leaders will need now and in the future, yet teams and individuals seek different outcomes.
Do you want to establish a new normal in which your team can thrive?
1. Get to Know Your Team (Again)
If you don't know the person behind the job title, you'll never truly comprehend them. You may have thought you knew your team members before to the pandemic, but everything has changed over the previous two years.
Use a tool like FindMyWhy to learn about the team members' motivations. Some of these new reasons may surprise both them and you. I would recommend revisiting this or something similar at least twice a year because a single incident in a person's life can radically alter their enthusiasm for work and, ultimately, their output.
2. Let Your Team Get to Know You (Again)
It is critical that you communicate with your colleagues about how you work best and why you come to work every day. Your personality attributes will determine how they communicate with you.
Need more information? Tell them. Just want an overview? Tell them. 16Personalities is another free tool that you and your team may do together and enjoy reporting back on the startlingly accurate results. Appreciate people for who they are rather than what you want them to be, and you'll be able to get everyone on board.
3. Ask the Team How Best to Operate Together
Remote work, busy seasons, your team is likely to be more familiar with the day-to-day operations than you are. They live and breathe it every day. They understand what works and what causes obstacles.
Rather of telling them what you believe is the greatest strategy, ask them to suggest a path forward and let them own it. You should be able to delegate responsibility for the team for extended periods of time.
4. Set Out the Non-Negotiables
Not every task completed by the team is urgent (if everything were urgent, nothing would be), but there may be a few crucial deadlines or meetings that are critical to the group's performance. Re-establish what they are so that everyone understands the importance of attending the weekly meeting or having their data available at the end of each month. This will allow you to get everyone on the same page.
5. Establish Clear Workflows
Clarity on who is doing what and why is essential. According to a recent Panopto survey, employees waste up to six hours each day duplicating tasks. This was due to a lack of access or awareness of previously completed tasks.
Increasing the team's operational openness will significantly reduce the amount of effort and time wasted recreating the wheel.
6. Save Documents in One Place
This appears to be a straightforward task, but having a single platform for document storage is almost a given. This improves team coordination and ensures everyone is on the same page.
Teams continue to save various types of data in legacy files, personal drives, and folders. As stated in the next guideline, some people may need to change their behavior slightly.
7. Encourage Knowledge Sharing
Individuals in teams may believe that knowledge equals power and will avoid aggressively sharing that knowledge in order to maintain some sort of status or power dynamic. This could be creations, access to systems, or just information they've gathered.
Praise this type of sharing and foster a culture that decreases one person's reliance on "go-to" people. The team improves as group knowledge grows.
8. Have Fun
Make room for fun. Don't wait until the darkest weeks of December to wear a festive jumper or comical headgear. To get everyone on the same page, team members must also share some laughs.
Sprinkle some fun throughout the year to allow the crew to let off some steam. As a leader, you may find yourself on the receiving end of a joke.
9. Discourage Overworking
Burnout is rapidly increasing, so it is critical that a culture of overwhelm and overwork does not develop. On sometimes, pulling an all-nighter may be necessary. However, as part of the team dynamics, no way.
If the team delivers by sacrificing their well-being, it distorts the true resource required to do the project. You are there to look after them. The greatest method to discourage this is not only to reduce any rewards or recognition for frequent overworking, but also to set a good example yourself.
10. Learn Together
A team that learns together and shares experiences has a sense of unity. They move from the unpleasant moments of not knowing to the other side of ah-ha! moments as a group, boosting each other up and building camaraderie.
This technique allows for the establishment and evolution of culture, as well as the creation of collective milestones that the team can refer to when necessary.
11. Rewrite Rules With the Team
Groups of individuals will make assumptions and unwritten norms. These principles gradually become normalized, despite the fact that they have never been written down or publicly acknowledged.
Work with the team to identify which rules need to be broken. Weekly 1:1s no longer provide value? Change it to biweekly. Are lengthy monthly town halls becoming too boring? Make an amendment.
Leaving procedures for too long increases the risk of them getting stagnant, thus it is critical to constantly rewrite the playbook to stay relevant.
12. Increase Diversity of Thought Together
Groupthink happens when a group of people agree without critical thought or disturbance. It occurs when teams work too closely in silos and do not often incorporate outside thinking.
Encourage visitors from other teams to attend meetings or small initiatives to share their approach or ask basic questions that the team may have forgotten about, such as "Why do you do it this way?" and “What does that mean?”
13. Be Open and Share Your Thoughts
Teams of people are often competent enough to do the "doing" while meeting the role's objectives. However, some may want to know more about the "why" and logic behind the team's decisions.
This is where you can communicate your vision or underline the team's vision and how it fits into the overall picture of the organizational system. You'll be able to see a little further ahead, so give the team that perspective so they can connect with the bigger "why." Telling the team the "why" behind the project might help everyone get on the same page.
14. Role Model Psychological Safety
There is a great balance to be found in terms of psychological safety. The team should feel comfortable asking you and other team members questions, providing feedback, and suggesting ideas that may not yet be completely developed.
Creating that feeling in the team is crucial for continuous leadership growth and greater performance, so listen for any negativity and discuss with the team why it is occurring. It's also a good sign if failure is acknowledged as a First Attempt In Learning (F.A.I.L).
15. Advertise Your Availability
We've heard the expression "my door is always open," but actions speak louder than words.
What typically comes with the phrase is a full schedule with no breaks and an excessive number of back-to-back appointments. Your staff will notice and assume you are too preoccupied to have a quick chat or serve as their soundboard.
Alternatively, they may wait until a formal gathering to deliver their now possibly diluted notion. Tell folks when you're available for calls or ad hoc tasks, and your staff will rapidly follow suit.
16. Establish Communication Etiquette
Text communication reigns supreme among distant teams. Modern office-based teams rely heavily on email, Slack, Teams, and Skype messages.
However, word, tone, and time can all be interpreted in slightly different ways, causing unnecessary friction. One person's expectation of a response within an hour may not be met if the receiver prefers to reflect and minimize communication interruptions until the end of the day.
Setting some agreed-upon ground rules and etiquette will assist the team understand how and when to approach their colleagues with questions, allowing everyone to be on the same page.
17. Create Regular Recognition (GratiTuesdays…?)
Knowing that your work was well appreciated is an important aspect in people feeling fulfilled at work. Many people simply want to know they are doing a good job, so fostering an environment in which people recognize one another for a job well done is an effective way to get your team on the same page.
Make it weekly or monthly. Whatever it is, schedule the thankfulness train to stop at the station on a regular basis so that people may get their tickets and board.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. Choose your favorite tips and apply them as we all traverse the VUCA environment (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity).
Our urge to feel linked to our own values has grown stronger. Your team working together to achieve great things will boost morale, give people a sense of purpose, inspire others, and have a positive ripple effect throughout the firm.
