Teams…Try to See It All!

Recently I was facilitating an offsite for a team.  At lunch, the group’s manager came over to me and said, “Things are going so well.  I’m thrilled with how happy everyone seems.  Just look at the smiles on their faces!”  I was surprised.  My experience of the morning was that while they were individually cheerful, they also talked over each other and didn’t take time to build on each other’s comments.

In that moment, I was reminded of a concept I learned early in my career:

When it comes to teams, we all focus on different dynamics!

Some of us pay attention to what’s going on with individuals.  Is Sally happy?  Is George feeling frustrated?  Others focus on interpersonal dynamics.  How are Sally and George getting along?  Are they communicating clearly?  Finally, some people pay attention to how the group is working as a whole.  Do members acknowledge each other’s contributions?  Do they ignore or embrace contrary views?

The problem for us as team leaders is that we can get stuck in one of these three modes, and we can ignore or discount individuals who raise issues from one of the others.  All three perspectives are important to understanding your group.  

So what can you do?  First, identify what dynamic(s) you notice most and what you tend to ignore.  Listen carefully to others who see things from the perspective you don’t.  You might even “appoint” someone to pay attention in these areas.  Finally, challenge yourself to notice all three dynamics – over time your perspective will broaden.  All of this will help you more fully understand what’s working and what’s not working on your team.