Team Building Resources

From the very first episode Sandy had a target on her back as being someone that was going to get voted off early. Initially unfortunately it was probably simply a matter of age and gender prejudice, but Sandy did have time to change things. But she didn’t seize the opportunity to work well with the team. Although she didn’t get the opportunity to bond with the team on their long haul to camp she did have a choice to make about how she spent her time. Unfortunately her commitment was to herself and not the team taking the opportunity to search for the immunity idol versus starting the task of building a camp for the team. This was the first flaw in team dynamics for Sandy, she started from behind and threw away the opportunity to pull herself forward. During the team exercises she did prove herself to be capable but it just wasn’t enough to offset the negative effects of her basic personality on the team chemistry. Good team chemistry is a key factor in successful teams. So what do you do if you find yourself on a team with another team member that just doesn’t fit in but you know they do have capabilities that could contribute to the team?

1. Start with yourself, recognize that as human beings we prefer to spend time around people we like, that said, work should not be about a popularity contest, we should be and should respect others for their capabilities and contributions to the success of the common goal of the team. So clearly define for yourself what trait it is that is causing the team chemistry problem.
2. Develop your feedback skills by determining how you could communicate to the individual to tone down a certain element of their personality without being a person attack.
3. Actively communicate to other team members the skills and capabilities you see in the team member with the chemistry issue raising their awareness of those skills that will hopefully offset the focus on the personality trait that is causing the team chemistry problem.

What do you do if you suspect you are the person on the team that is causing a team chemistry issue? Don’t worry if you are self reflective enough to ask the question you are probably well dialled in to team dynamics and managing your team chemistry just fine.
Lynn
Team Building Enthusiast