What happens when a team — with various behavior styles, personalities, and preferences — show up at work?
What happens when a diverse group of people with a family of origin imprint, gender, generation, education, and talent are mixed together on a project?
What happens when a bunch of people, equipped with limiting behavior are recruited to grow a business, deliver a great customer experience, and get results?
What happens when you gather people with various degrees of emotional intelligence, communication skills, and listening habits?
What happens when teams are expected to achieve unclear goals and objectives with minimal accountability?
What happens when these human beings live in a world filled with noise, chaos, busyness, financial pressures, relationship strain, and little margin to breathe?
We call it the workplace.
The People Project, I’m just sayin’
As you think about the workplace and your team, consider these realities as you pursue future success.
1. The business of business is people
No matter what your product or service, it’s the people, not the technical advantage that is your competitive advantage; you must develop self-managed teams to win.
2. Business eats people
The nature of Business is to take, create, export, and want more. It’s not right or wrong, just the nature of business. As the leader of your life, you are responsible for how much you feed the beast. If you are a team leader, CEO, or a manager, you must decide what your culture demands of your people. “It will be there tomorrow.” Right?
3. People don’t think
How many times have you said or heard someone say after missing the mark, “I didn’t think…”? That’s right when people do the unthinkable or irrational it’s because they (we) don’t stop and think. The pace of life and device dependency makes this a growing reality and concern.
4. People need help becoming successful people
“Everybody needs a coach.” How well do connect with (know) your team? How well do you see the potential in others? Communicate hope for his or her future? How much compassion do you demonstrate at work? Home?
5. Mature people develop mature people
Mature means more sensible, more adult, to grow and put away “childish ways.” To develop a mature team demands mature, servant leadership.
6. Take care of the people and the people will take care of the business
Here’s the secret to productivity: engaged employees. A self-managed team will care for the customer, both internal and external, and the business.
7. If you take care of the people and the don’t take care of the business, they’re not your people
Clear expectations, effective communication, and accountability support high performing teams. Then, employees self-select to move on, making a talent upgrade possible.
What happens when a group of people becomes a self-managed team at work?
Trust, communication, commitment, and accountability develop leading to amazing results. When you recognize the seven realities of people and business, you might call it a miracle.
Creating space to think
What greatness does your team want to achieve?
How well are you addressing the seven realities of people and business?
How are you developing your people into self-managed teams?
You have a higher calling, purpose in life. You want to be and do something extraordinary. Your mission and contribution demand that you connect with people … yes, those people.
When you do, expect a miracle as you and your team write an amazing Story. Let me know how I can help.
Here’s to your Next Level Miracle,
Steve