TomLaForce.com

I think the single biggest thing individuals and organizations can do to create energy is to set a compelling goal. The goal should be clear, attainable, and inspiring. What are your goals? Quick, name the single most important thing you are working on in your life. How about the most important goal you have at work? Does every person in your department share a common goal? Could they all articulate it?

The first thing a team needs is a reason to act like a team. A good goal provides that reason.

In working with teams, I often ask the members to agree on a set of rules they will use to govern themselves.  After an hour or so of discussion, the group usually is able to agree on 4-8 rules it wants to adopt.  Each person promises to live by the agreement.

Sometimes I get called back to work with the team several months later.  One thing I like to do is ask the members to rank their adherence to the rules they established.  First I ask them to rank the group’s performance.  Then I ask each member to rank his or her personal performance.

It’s all done on a confidential survey.  When I tally the vote, it never fails that team members all think they are doing better at following the rules than the team as a whole is doing.

Garrison Keillor likes to talk about Lake Wobegon as a place where “All the kids are above average.”  Apparently when it comes to teamwork, the same phenomenon exists.

Groups need to learn how to identify problems.  Individuals need to be willing to accept their contributions to those problems.  If they can’t or won’t take ownership for part of the team’s struggle, it’s going to be nearly impossible to do anything about it.

Have you ever noticed how quickly a baby learns? It’s phenomenal, especially when considering how long it takes to learn something new as an adult. How come babies learn so quickly? Here are two possibilities. 1) Everything is new to babies. 2) Babies don’t look at the world through the filter of previous experience.

Try to remember a time when you learned something important. What were you doing and how did you feel just prior to the “big aha?” It’s likely you were doing something new and challenging when you made your discovery.

If you want to learn as quickly as a baby learns, put yourself in a baby’s environment. Find a place where you’re not the expert. Put yourself in situations where you don’t know the language, don’t know the rules, haven’t created any filters, and can’t seem to do anything right. In this type of environment, learning will come quickly and easily. You’ll have no choice.

Need ideas?  Take a trip to a foreign country. Wander on down to visit with the folks in IT. The Legal Department might provide a similar experience. For me, a trip to the fabric store with my wife would provide a sufficient challenge. It’s all about getting uncomfortable. If you can’t think of where that might occur, just start wandering aimlessly. You’ll know it when you feel it. Then you just need to stop, experience, and starting learning.

In all my years working with groups, I’ve noticed that when teams struggle, members of those teams almost always point the finger at someone other than themselves. One of the most important characteristics of an effective team is the ability of each member to see him or herself as having ownership for the group’s success and struggles. Instead of blame, I would much rather see individuals ask, “What have I contributed to this problem?”

Contribution or blame, which one sounds most useful to you?