To be sure, this very tendency was in full force last Friday during an adventure we ran for new MBA students, who were meeting their first-term group members for the very first time. Hopefully, by getting thrown into a fun and challenging situation mere seconds after being introduced, the “Susan Boyle effect” was somewhat mitigated; instead of making snap judgments based on appearances, they were able to see their teammates in action and get a more informed understanding of who they are, and what to expect from them.

Have you just joined a new team? If so, there are likely one or more Susan Boyles on your team right now. They need not be dowdy, 47 years old, or have an operatic voice. But Ms. Boyle’s extreme example highlights the need to keep our first impressions in check when starting on a new team. The forming stage of team development can happen quickly, but ideally should take longer than 5 seconds. The more we resist snap judgements, and the more we open our minds, the more quickly we can come to realistic expectations regarding our new team members and get on the road to becoming a well functioning unit.

Matt  (Team puzzle architect)

Each of the individuals are now solidifying connections with the ultimate goal of self preservation, but initial alliances are a strong force to contend with.  Brendan as a strong player needed to be more aware of what was going on around him.  His key mistake – he made commitments early on in the game and then when he had the opportunity to follow through on those commitments he left it lagging until he figured out it would be in his own best interested for them to “resurface” .  Granted on Survivor the “outwit” element has people making hollow commitments all the time.  But I believe if Brendan had nurtured his commitment from the moment the tribes merged he would not have been sent home in episode 9, he would have made it much further in the game. 

The same is true of working in teams in a work environment.  The commitments we make to each other some are explicit some are implicit.  Often as part of a team we are dependent on other work being delivered on a given time schedule to ensure that our work can be delivered on a given time schedule that we have committed to.  Making commitments should never be taken lightly.  Making commitments and living up to those commitments goes a long way to building trust, ensuring the team processes work effectively and overall team chemistry. 

Take the opportunity now to think about the teams that you work as part of:

• What implicit commitments have you made?
• What explicit commitments have you made?
• Are you living up to those commitments?
• If not what is your action plan?

It is perfectly reasonable when working as part of a team to make commitments and then once you have additional information or other things get in the way not be able to live up to commitments you make 100%.   However, to manage team dynamics effectively you always need to manage the commitments, either explaining to the individual or individuals you have made the commitment to that you will be delivering later than scheduled or not at all.  The team will now be able to take action accordingly instead of just being left waiting for something that is coming later or never coming at all.  Building trust and also allowing the team to function more effectively.

Lynn

Team Enthusiast

I recognize that the footage we see can very much present a picture that the producers would like us to see versus the real human connections that are taking place but I’m pretty sure the depiction of the “coat tails riding” female was a pretty accurate depiction of Sydney.  Sydney was quite clear on her strategy of using her looks to make connections and hopefully ride that all the way to the million dollar payoff, fortunately this strategy did not pan out.  What it did bring to mind though was some experiences I’ve had managing a team when a female team member believed playing up her feminine features would only benefit her and not hurt her professional credibility. 

I’m not supporting the concept that to be successful in a workplace team you need to become “one of the boys”, but you do need to be cognizant of the message you are sending to team mates by your actions.  As I managed teams in the past, I was often asked by younger women just starting their career do you have any advice on how to be successful as a woman in the workplace.  My response was always quite simple, “recognize it but don’t play to it”. There are 3 key areas that are particularly fraught with feeding negative female stereotypes that can impact your credibility:

1. How you dress – rule of thumb don’t be an outlier, be cognizant of the informal dress code around the office, work is not the place for plunging necklines or tight body hugging outfits, be seen for your results not your appearance.
2. How you react under pressure – the workplace still has a lot of male norms and response under pressure is a key factor in gaining team credibility, be aware of your stress response and I’m not advocating not to be authentic but decide for yourself, do you respond well under pressure and if you see gaps in your behaviour relative to  “your ideal”  make a concrete action plan about how you are going to improve this element of your performance. 
3. How you express anger and frustration – again what is acceptable in the workplace is very much dictated by male norms, although we have made great strides in recognizing aggressive anger is inappropriate in any workplace, the female response for anger and frustration is often crying, which still has a negative stigma.  Again, decide for yourself what your ideal action response is and set about an action plan for how to improve this element of your performance.

These guidelines are not rocket science they are just good common sense but often an awareness which leads to reflection that leads to action is a great way to improve your professional performance and development of strong team connections.

Lynn

Team Enthusiast

A key characteristic of successful teams is the attitude and actions of team members to be fully committed.  Capability is important but it’s when team members underperform to their team expectations it has the greatest impact within the team. 

Spencer’s underperformance was very visible and during a crucial activity.  So what can you learn from Spencer when you are working on a team?  Being 100% committed to all team goals and objectives is a great aspiration but unfortunately impractical.  As human beings we have our good and bad days, luckily our work environments don’t work exactly like survivor where we risk being voted off the team every 3 days.  That said being very conscious of when your team is counting on your to deliver and coming through with 100% commitment.  The capability part most team mates will be reasonable about, it’s the perceived commitment that strikes an emotional reaction from team members.

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

I’d like to reflect on the team learning that is clearly demonstrated on each episode of Survivor.  Now the concept of survivor is ultimately to “outwit, outplay, outlast”, however the road to the million dollar prize is paved with many aspects of effective team dynamics.

As a first instalment, I have to begin with “Coach” – Benjamin Wade. I know that individuals are selected often because they have the ability to trigger emotions in people good or bad and coach is definitely one of the stronger personalities on the show. Coach clearly believes that manipulation is a key dimension of being an effective team leader. However, for teams not pulled together simply to compete and outlast each other, manipulation would be one of the worst traits we could have in a team member let alone a team leader.

Trust is a foundation element of successful teams and nothing undermines it more than attempted manipulation. Although we have seen some winners on the show of survival that have been master manipulators, if we see traits of those individuals on any team members we need to work with, odds are it will be a less than effective team. So does it mean we just bounce them off the team? No we can’t always choose who we need to work with on a team, however if you find yourself working or managing a team that has a “master manipulator” on board take these steps:

1. Have a one on one conversation with the individual immediately or as soon after you have witnessed the negative behaviour (constructive feedback is best received and delivered without an audience)
2. Discuss the situation and give the individual your perspective and the resulting tone that it leaves with the group
3. Give the individual an opportunity to explain an alternate perspective

Although this won’t change an individuals behaviour overnight, the fact that it has been brought to light in a non threatening way will often allow the individual to be more self aware and hopefully recognize that putting energy into being an effective team member instead of being a team manipulator will bring greater rewards in the end.

Lynn Ferguson
Team Enthusiast