I observed an interaction between my two sons the other evening which highlighted why together is better. My older son had a dilemma. He had an assessment that needed typing up before the next morning. He also had an important sporting event the next day and he was keen to stick with his pre-competition routine of taking a mineral salts bath the night before. “If only there was a way I could use my laptop while I’m in the bath”, he mused aloud. Along came his younger brother with a quick response, “there must be a way”.
I listened in from afar as they went to and fro with “What about…” says younger brother. “Nah, that won’t work…” says the older (and thinks he’s wiser) one. “Well, what about…” tries younger brother. “Nah, that won’t work…” comes the reply. Undeterred, younger brother exclaims, “I know what will work” and off he ran to the garage. He returns with a large block of polystyrene that was awaiting recycling day. “Nah, that won’t work…” I hear his older brother say. Again, undeterred, younger brother explains, “I could do this… and then I could put that there… and then you could put that there… and then this would sit there. It will work.” “That could work,” older brother replies.
Minutes later, with a makeshift desk installed in the bathroom, my older son was taking a bath and finishing his homework. Win-win. His problem had been solved.
This simple exchange between the boys reminded me of what is possible when you open up, share your problems and remain open to receiving help from others.
In the workplace this can sometimes be challenging. In some workplace cultures people feel the need to have all the answers themselves. Asking for help is seen as a sign of failure. Especially if the answer comes from a younger, or less experienced, colleague.
Yet we know that working together can produce better overall results, bringing out the best in each team member through maximising people’s unique strengths and complimenting them with the unique strengths in others.
In the case of my sons, if my older son hadn’t opened up that he had a problem to solve, there wouldn’t have been a solution. He would have remained stressed and unproductive for the evening. If my younger son didn’t care enough about his brother’s goals, he wouldn’t have come up with multiple ideas and persisted until he found one that might work. If my younger son wasn’t confident in his own strengths he may have been deterred by his brother’s initial resistance to his ideas. If I had stepped in as ‘team leader’ and aired my concerns about the risk of the school laptop ending up in a bathtub or the seemingly logical suggestion that ‘if you just got on with it now, you could have your bath then do your homework’. Instead the conditions were conducive to working together.
So what can you do to encourage your team members to harness the power of working together in the workplace? Even if your workplace culture has a more individual focus and doesn’t really support and reward people for working together, there are still things you can do to bring about change.
Dare to Care — helping your fellow team members to solve problems or perform well requires a level of caring. Caring about your team’s (and company’s) goals, caring about the work you do and, of course, caring about your fellow team members.
Be Dependable and Reliable — be the person who others know they can come to when they need help. Consistently deliver on your promises; be available and ready to give help when it is needed.
Always be Thinking — take the time to understand your whole team’s priorities such that you are always thinking about how you can contribute to team issues and problem solve outside of your direct responsibilities.
Know Your Team — take the time to get to know your fellow team members. No-one is asking us to be BFFs with the people we work with, however, if you take the time to understand their strengths and personal attributes, their personal goals and the areas they need support in, then you are better placed to be there for them. The bonus is you also know where they can support you.
Respect Everyone and Build Trust — it seems so common sense, yet we know it isn’t easy. Creating a team culture where everyone feels valued requires each of us to bring basic respect as a starting point and to be building trust at every turn.
Talk, Talk, Talk — open communication is critical to working together. Share your own experiences, successes and challenges openly with all of your team members. Encourage others to open up with you and the whole team. Ask open questions and go deeper. Show people that talking openly about things is not something to be feared, instead something that brings huge benefits to everyone.
And finally, Don’t Give Up —sometimes this type of change takes time, so keep going, be persistent and remember to thank yourself and your team members for both the small and large examples of working well together.
The ability for a group of people to do remarkable things hinges on how well these people can pull together as a team. Simon Sinek
The example of the makeshift polystyrene bathtub desk was a great example of working together. I took the opportunity to speak with each of my sons later that evening. The older one was relaxed, complimentary of both his brother’s skillset and the solution itself. The younger one shrugged off my appreciation for helping out his brother but his sense of pride and mastery was apparent. (And then this ‘team leader’ patted herself on the back for not butting in!)
So, next time you are facing some dilemma, or have a problem to solve, make sure you muse out loud. Share that problem with your fellow team members and remain open to what follows. Experience the power of working together!