Which Rowing Team is Better at Rowing? Look Closely – it’s a Trick Question.
If both of these teams were actually rowing, they might be pretty even.
Yet, with a quick glance, you’d see Team 1’s oars are everywhere. And yet – they are resting – and may be even goofing off.
Team 2 IS actually rowing – you can tell by the way their oars are in a configured formation, the somewhat stillness of the water moving under their oars, the position of each person’s arms, and the same view of each other’s backs.
Both of these pictures are of good teams. We need the chance to rest, relax and have fun with each other, just as much as we need concerted effort in what we are trying to accomplish inside our teams. Both are good components of teams that are maturing.
Why I want to have the discussion and the turning of the phrases from
“Team Building”
to
“Teaming Behaviors”
Why the Need for a Change?
So much has changed in how we view our teams in business. Many of the changes started before the pandemic, and many changes have been accelerated because of it.
However, what we’ve been learning throughout the last decade hasn’t made certain headway on increasing team maturity levels. And, unfortunately, “Team Building” per se, doesn’t mature teams. These events were fun to be a part of, but they never took the team to a higher level of maturity. Instead, they skirted around issues inherent inside each team’s dynamics. In some cases, they caused greater damage to team members, especially for those team members who are introverts.
Instead, what needs more attention are “Teaming Behaviors”—those behaviors that exceptional teams possess and in whose presence teams repeatedly experience greater and greater excellence and high performance.
How can we understand each behavior, and how can we instill these behaviors inside our existing team members?
Come along with me for the next weeks to understand the difference in concepts and to determine if your teams are maturing or are a little stuck.