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)

There is no one size fits all for how to communicate optimally which each individual but the basics of effective communication will put you on the right track, the following is a list of sound communication principles and questions you can ask yourself to improve your communication with each of your team mates depending on their key preferences and needs:

1. Time is a precious resource, ensure your communication is focused and provide only as much detail as the recipient needs to understand and engage.
2. Demonstrate active listening whenever possible (repeating back a summarized version or asking clarifying questions).
3. Determine if your team mate processes information better through verbal communication or written communication, although you should never use one form exclusively, when you need to ensure your team mate clearly understands the information, make sure you provide it in the form that best suits them.
4. Check for visible confirmation that your team mate is listening and engaged, if not save the communication for a time when you are both able to fully commit to the conversation.  If the time never seems right, be a little more forcefully and specifically ask for confirmation that what you are saying is being heard.
5. Determine if your team mate likes to process information in a linear manner or is comfortable discussing an idea from many different perspectives and adjust your communication accordingly.
6. Determine if your team mates need facts and figures to connect to an idea or if they need to have an emotional connection before fully engaging.  You will need to think through both dimensions but put the focus on one or the other with particular team mates.
7. Determine if your team mate likes to process information internally prior to being able to engage in a discussion about alternatives or is comfortable with full brainstorming, asking a team mate who requires internal processing time to engage on the fly will not only deliver sub-optimal results it can create tension in the team as they have been placed in an uncomfortable position.
8. Ensure your verbal and non verbal communication is consistent, some team mates will be less focused on the non verbal but some place a very high degree of importance on the consistency of verbal and non verbal communication.
9. For key communication (not suggesting you evaluate each conversation before engaging) determine if you need the team mate to take action from the communication or simply to be aware.  The approach and detail you provide will be quite different depending on the objective.
10. Check with your team on a regular basis about how well communication is going, are there areas where there is too much information being discussed/disseminated, are there areas where there is a void in communication, are there ways team members would prefer to communicate i.e. a weekly meeting instead of having to write a weekly activity report. 

Being an effective communicator is important for most dimensions of work life but particularly so when working as part of a team.  The more each individual is cognizant of their own needs and strengths and those of others adjustments can be made on both side to optimize communication effectiveness.

Lynn

Team Enthusiast

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