Blog: How to help teams thrive?

I am a true believer of heterogeneous teams who leverage their different strengths when creating something extraordinary together. At the same time not all teams thrive.

To me, having a clear purpose that everyone can connect to even emotionally is really the starting point. It enhances commitment as it makes the team to want make things happen. “Why are we doing this together?“ is a question that every team member should know and feel the answer to.

While the clear purpose shows the way, the team still needs to have a shared understanding on questions like “What is it that we need to focus on?” and “What can I personally give to the team?”.

Finally, as the ideas and all the talk need to become something tangible, the team members still need to be on the clear how they are making things happen as a team.

Simple questions, it seems, but very often the answers are unclear, resulting in that the outcome is not always what it could have been at its best. And hey, when you do something, why not try to do the best you can?

I’ve noticed that five things help when working on finding the answers to the why, what and how questions.

Start with trust. Trust allows us not to be afraid, it stimulates open and honest discussions and invites to different views and opinions without a fear of conflict.

Be present and focus and always show appreciation, the easiest way to do that is to listen. Really listen, so that you understand what you hear and then build on that. Instead of only bouncing back and forth with ideas, it is better to feedforward. Owning an idea is not relevant, sharing generously and creating something big together is.

Finally, be kind, both to others and to yourself. When pursuing the goals, things don’t always go as planned. That’s the moment to cherish a learning opportunity and continue with a positive mindset.

Feeling thankful for being able to fulfil my purpose, to help teams thrive.

Arkisto