Tag Archives: Team Building

Five Behaviors that Unite Your Team

ICONS_icon-team

 

 

“Divide and rule, the politician cries; unite and lead, is the watchword of the wise.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

 

Why?

Why is it so important to unite your team? When your team is divided it is every man for himself. Each member has their own agenda and is looking out for their own best interest. When a team is united, true collaboration can take place. Every member is putting their best effort into what is best for the team as a whole. Each member plays an important role in reaching the shared goals of the group. So, what behaviors will help unite your team?

Finding commonality

Barbara Deming said, “The longer we listen to one another – with real attention – the more commonality we will find in all our lives. That is, if we are careful to exchange with one another life stories and not simply opinions.” Everyone wants to feel a sense of belonging, to be part of something bigger than themselves, and to work with others with whom they can relate. By creating a sense of community and belonging you can develop a team identity and begin to unite your team.

Eliminating the us vs. them mentality

Sharon Salzberg believes, “We can learn the art of fierce compassion – redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking – while cultivating power and clarity in response to difficult situations.” Unity requires the building of trusting, respectful relationships. An us vs. them mentality undermines your ability to form meaningful relationships throughout your team. Recognize that your team is your #1 asset; every member has something to contribute. Help unite your team by eliminating the us vs. them mentality and by giving credit where it is due, communicating openly, and showing respect for every member.

Recognize that everyone adds value

Michelle Obama explained, “We learned about gratitude and humility – that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept the school clean… and we were taught to value everyone’s contribution and treat everyone with respect.” Everyone wants to know that their contribution is valued. Every member of the team is there for a reason, they have a specific role to play, and they bring with them unique experiences and knowledge. Unite your team by showing them that you recognize the value they bring to the team. Invest in them and provide opportunities for growth. Give them the support, encouragement, and the resources they need to be successful.

Share the success

Michael Ironside tells us, “People who get involved with the success of something have to be given at least some share in that success.” When the team succeeds, everyone on the team succeeds. Create a win-win team environment where individual members benefit as the team progresses. Focus on removing obstacles and helping others grow and succeed. Every day offers the opportunity to take on individual and shared challenges that help us grow and move us one step closer to achieving our goals. Set ambitious goals, unite your team under one vision, and then share and celebrate successes both small and large.

Let leaders emerge naturally

Robin S. Sharma reminded us, “Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence, and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers.” Help team members recognize their strengths and weaknesses then find ways to empower them to use their strengths for the benefit of the team. Serve as a coach, at the sidelines, allowing the team to share in the leadership. Allow team members to step up when their strengths fit the current needs of the group. Unite your team by empowering them to stand up for what they believe in, always have their back, and let leaders emerge from among the ranks.

Unite Your Team

Create unity in your team where collaboration, innovation, and continual growth can take place. Develop a supportive environment where the contribution of each member is recognized and valued. Find commonality, eliminate the us vs. them mentality, recognize that everyone adds value, share the success, and let leaders emerge naturally. A successful team is a united team.
© 2015 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

 

Resolving Conflict-It’s Not about Winning

file7591250911694

“Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” —Ronald Reagan

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

 

What Causes Conflict and How Do We Resolve It?

Conflict is the mental struggle that arises when our ideas, needs, wishes, or demands are in opposition to those of others. Conflict is inevitable when you bring people together from different beliefs and backgrounds. When we spend time in conflict with each other we are wasting energy and destroying any sense of camaraderie. Conflict does not resolve itself and only escalates if not addressed. Unresolved conflict can result in the loss of productivity, cooperation, collaboration, and creativity. Let’s look a little deeper at some of the factors that cause conflict and how we can resolve them.

Cognitive bias

Cognitive biases are thinking errors that impact how we interpret the world around us. These biases often occur when we try to over-simplify how we process information. Biases cause irrational thinking and affect our ability to make sound decisions.

Biases can influence in simple ways such allowing the way you currently feel to color the way you interpret the world around you. They can permit your judgment to become dependent on previously provided evidence with little regard for new evidence. You may have the tendency to listen only to information that confirms your preconceived beliefs or to interpret information in a way that confirms these beliefs. Your expectations could be unconsciously influencing how you perceive the outcome of interactions. It is also easy to let ourselves get caught up in group think and adopt the beliefs of others without proper evaluation.

When we experience a cognitive bias it impairs our ability to rationally interpret information and experiences. It is easy to fail to recognize and compensate for our own biases. We must be aware of these biases and how they impact our thinking in order to prevent and resolve the conflict they may cause.

Ambiguity

Conflict often arises when we assume all parties are talking about the same thing. Often we find that each participant to a conversation has their own definitions and meanings which are not in agreement with each other. In order to eliminate ambiguity we must come to the same understanding, with the same definitions and meanings by asking open-ended questions which you do not have preconceived answers for. Listen with the intent of gaining an understanding of how other parties perceive the situation.

Many times conflict involves the perception we have of the role we play in a group differing from how others see it. Conflict becomes more likely when we are operating under different assumptions about our roles and responsibilities than those we work with. Clear, written communication can be effective at keeping ambiguity to a minimum. Make sure you know what the conflict you are experiencing is really about. Work together to assign clear roles, define reality, and eliminate ambiguity.

Communication

The most successful approach to resolving conflict is open, two-way communication. In order to communicate effectively you must learn to listen without passing judgment. Each party to the communication will apply their own definitions and meanings; therefore, you can’t just listen to the facts. You have to ask probing questions and come to a consensus on the definition and meaning of the facts. Also, don’t just listen to others to figure out how you can get them to agree with your point of view. Listen to really understand and appreciate their reality so you can understand where they are coming from.

Be clear and consistent with communication from the very beginning of the relationship. Ask questions and keep an open mind. Talk through and test the feasibility of proposed solutions together. Prepare in advance for difficult conversations. Define how you see the problem. What points do you think are important? Come prepared to propose possible solutions. Make sure your message is clear and concise. When working to resolve conflict, watch the tone and language that you use and keep your emotions out of the discussion. Be an active listener and show yourself to be transparent and trustworthy. Focus on mending relationships before turning your focus to tasks.

Spanning boundaries

To resolve conflict we must learn to build bridges between management, employees, suppliers, and customers. We must develop strong relationships between people with differing beliefs, experience, and knowledge. By clarifying the role that each individual plays and the purpose of the team you can capitalize on the power that individual differences bring to the table.

Establish commonality by creating a shared vision, building trust, and coming together to achieve a higher purpose. Co-create something greater than could be achieved individually by combining a shared vision and strategy with the expertise, resources, and experiences of each individual. Span boundaries by accepting and appreciating the diversity that builds a great team.

It’s Not about Winning

Conflict is inevitable. It’s usually rooted in poor communication and the inability to control our emotions. When working to resolve conflict, listen with the intent of developing a connection, not to merely respond. Don’t communicate with the goal of getting the other person to agree with your point of view; communicate to bring differing points of view together to co-create something that is new.

When dealing with conflict, keep your emotions in check and maintain moral high ground. You do not have the power to change others so you may have to look at ways you can change your approach to managing relationships to avoid and resolve conflict. Conflict can be about bringing differing opinions together and co-creating something fantastic. Don’t think of resolving conflict in terms of winning. It’s not about seeking to defeat an enemy but about finding common ground for cooperation, compromise, and collaboration.

© 2014 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

 

Team Building

“A strong team is built not with like-minded individuals, but with individuals who can contribute varied experience, education, and skill to shared team goals.”    

                                                                                                            -Elizabeth Stincelli, DM