Successful teams, what makes them tick & fly?

Often I get asked to facilitate and coach a team in their journey towards becoming more successful.

Sometimes a team journey starts from a negative space like ’there is little trust in the team or each person is working for their own interests instead of for the greater good of the team’. However, a simple starting point can just be that there is even more possible in terms of achievements than is coming out at the moment.

Out of all the teams I have worked with, as a team member myself and/or as a interim manager, trainer, coach and facilitator there are some key ingredients and interventions I have discovered that work.

Teams are successful when there is Clarity, Understanding, Respect and Commitment for and of:

• The team purpose
• The team passion
• The talents and contributions of each team member
• The interdependency with other team members as well as other functions and teams in the company
• The courage to stand for the hygiene (healthy atmosphere) of the team and to speak upand out to protect it
• The ability of each team member to take impactful actions towards achieving a shared purpose

How do you start this team journey towards achieving more success?

A starting point is that team members are most often well skilled in their knowledge of their work and less in the interdependent dynamics of team work. By raising awareness (clarity and understanding) let us say the softer side of team work, with various methods team members learn to:

• Know yourself and others preferences, strengths and weaknesses
• Agree to disagree and accept that everyone including yourself is always only partially right
• Take responsibility for actions and how they impact the success of the team positively and negatively

There are many models and interventions that help, are fun and easy to work with.

Typically I choose to work with these proven methods, instruments and sources of inspiration

• ORSC (the team is a system, individuals represent what the systems needs to function and dysfunction, so it is not as personal as your might take it sometimes; what are toxic behaviors that influence the success of the team, what are key values for the team and what is the team charter to draw up with actions and ways of working together)
• Insights for self and team discovery of preferences, strengths and weaknesses
• Patrick Lencioni, The 5 dysfunctions of teams
• Jim Collins, From Good to Great
•  Steven Covey – the 7 habits of highly successful people & the 8th habit

A typical design of a team journey

It all starts with contracting, raising awareness and commitment. To achieve this individual intakes are done with all team members in which relevant themes and patterns can emerge for the collective session(s) to follow. The collective intelligence and cohesion that comes out of the team sessions are followed up with individual coaching, virtual or face to face so as to ensure the transfer from intelligent ideas & intentions move into proven practice.