UTurn^TV

When I deliver Moments of Clarity I am often given a pencil sketch of some of the teams issues before we start the two day process but I rarely know exactly which issues are going to be raised by the team.

One theme that is regularly raised is the relationship, interaction and effect of other teams or individuals on the team.  Comments such as ‘they are rude’, ‘they don’t listen to us’, ‘they never give us enough information’, ‘they don’t trust us to do our job’ have been highlighted by teams on a regular basis.

The discussion that usually follows is often focussed on all of the negative aspects of working with this team, who is at fault, who is the worst culprit etc.  However, many teams in this situation rarely take the time to examine their own behaviour to see how it might be having an effect on the people they work with.

So, here are some tips to having better working relationships with every team in your organisation:

Consider if you are actually delivering.  Do you deliver what is required, when it is required?  When was the last time you checked that you are still doing it right?

Stop bitching and moaning about them. Ask yourselves how much time you are spending talking about how much things don’t work.  Be aware that no matter how ‘confidential’ that coffee machine conversation was – the person you were talking about will find out about it.  That’s just the law of people.  They talk.

Have a relationship with them. A good one. Why would you want to go to work every day just so that you can be miserable and unhappy all day about what’s not working and griping about who is the most rubbish in that team?  Wouldn’t it be better to have a good working relationship with them so that you can all do a good days work?  How would you feel if you were able to go home every day knowing that you and that other team are delivering consistently on that major project?

Wear someone else’s shoes. Obviously not literally but take some time out to do some creative thinking and try and look at the issues you can see from their perspective.  If you can’t manage that then…

…Ask.  Ask.  Ask. Ask.  Ask.  Ask. You will never know what someone else is thinking unless you ask them.  If you take the time to sit down and talk to a representative from another team (or better yet the whole team!) the sky will not fall in and neither will you contract a horrendously contagious disease.  Yes, you might feel a bit uncomfortable but if that is the worst that will happen in the pursuit of better working relationships then surely it would be worth it?

Work is not a social club. It’s a place where you are paid to go and achieve tasks in a given number of hours in a day.  If you meet someone that you end up socialising with or even marrying then that’s a bonus.  You are not paid to whine about someone else’s behaviour or performance.  You are not paid to stand at the coffee machine and tell anyone who will listen that the boss of that team is about as much use as a chocolate fire guard.

Be positive. Every time I work with a team I notice that the first stance on any issue is often the negative one.  Negativity is like a virus but so is positivity.  Try spreading a bit of positivity and see how quickly everyone catches the bug.

If you want to learn more about Moments of Clarity I am holding a free seminar that still has a few places left.  If you would like to attend please use this link to book your place: http://happierstaff2.eventbrite.com/

Be happy.

Posted in: Business Coaching,Management Training,Moments of Clarity,Motivation
Tags:delivery,Moments of Clarity,negativity,team building,team work,teamwork