Dearest Darling Friends,
People can never exist alone. We exist and function in teams. Family is a team. Friends are a team. The work place with colleagues is a team. Each one of us, who knows how to be in a team and get the best out of a team, will not only excel in life but will also be very very happy in life. Here are a few guidelines that will work for you in any team situation. After reading it, do let me know your thoughts. So many insights that you read in LSMs are born out of sharings by readers.
To get the best out of anyone, understanding their needs is crucial. Here are some needs that every team and team member has…
- All teams respond to positivity. They need to believe tomorrow will be better. How well do you do this? Can you also show them, why and how to be positive? If yes, you are a very impressive leader.
- All teams need to be inspired about what they are doing. This is different from motivations like money and other incentives. Once needs like basic money and minimum respect have been met, feeling worthy becomes very important. Doing things worthwhile is one of the greatest drivers for human beings. Are you driven by a worthwhile goal? Are your teams driven by worthwhile goals? Whether it is family or work place or friends, a worthwhile goal makes everyone stretch, makes everyone do more. Can you make your team members feel we are doing something worthwhile? Ask your team members and they will give you the correct answer. There are so many tales of heroism in the armed forces all over the world. What makes so many heroes in the armed forces? A sense of being inspired and doing ‘worthwhile’ things. An NGO like Red Cross and Missionaries of Charity are two more living example of what driven by worthwhile goals can achieve.
- All teams need to know that their leader is loyal and supportive. If a leader is selfish, the team responds accordingly. The best leaders ensures everyone has enough opportunities to grow. This means, mistakes do not invoke WORST behaviour. It leads to support and guidance. All the leader asks for is ‘sincerity and application’.
- Insecure teams need to be reassured that they are safe. Any threat they feel, must be addressed.
- Teams that are doing well competitively, need greater challenges. To keep proving themselves is their greatest motivation. Otherwise, they will become sleepy and dull.
- Creative teams need new, innovative, bold ideas and approaches. They need something ‘new’ to do every now and then.
- All teams need morale. You need to be open and honest about any person’s behaviour – including our own – that is hurting morale. Anything that hurts the morale of a team must be rectified. There is no point in running a ship that has a hole at the bottom. That is what ‘low morale’ inducing behavior all about. Steer clear of it, no matter what. Plug that hole or the entire ship with its people will capsize.
- All teams like to have fun. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The teams that have fun together, stay together. They also bond much much better.
All the best my darling readers in getting the best out of your teams. If this LSM was worthwhile for you, we would love to know about it. Ah yes, we, you and me, are also a team. I wish and pray, I am doing justice to you and your time invested in reading the LSMs.
With love, prayers and exceptional wishes,
naren
Imagine, when we wake up, we are given only what we had thanked for.
naren@lifeschool.co.in