Teams part 6
Celebration
This is a great area where team input is very enthusiastic.
Decide on the milestones you wish to celebrate but don’t limit celebrations just to these.
You can celebrate team achievement and personal achievement.
This can take many forms and I’m sure you will get plenty of ideas from your team.
For example:
- Meet up for a specific social occasion for major milestones or have an informal meet once a month
- Give a small award for exceptional performance for that month
- Get a summary of a recent 5 minute presentation put into the organisational newsletter
- Hold a draw for tickets to the cinema etc.
How you celebrate is only limited by your team’s imagination.
Celebrations are great for motivation.
Dealing with conflict
Whilst healthy debate is needed in team work direct conflict can be debilitating.
As soon as you recognise that conflict is taking place try to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Don’t leave such problems to fester.
Let each side give their version of events before trying to resolve an issue.
Hopefully, the solution will be easy.
The easiest way to resolve a conflict is to get each party to see the other’s point of view.
Once this is established the issue may dissolve without the need for additional actions.
If not let them decide on the solution between them with you as the arbitrator.
Don’t try to impose a solution yourself if it can be avoided.
If you can’t resolve the conflict one or both may have to leave the team to maintain harmony.
Reiterate that each person is on the team for their expertise and knowledge and that it is a requirement for them to their hardest to work together.
Also, remind them that you won’t be able to tolerate such discord in the meetings.
A common area of conflict is when people get upset when not informed about what’s going on.
This can appear in a variety of ways. In essence, person ‘A’ is upset that particular information is not coming their way and complain to the individual concerned. The other person ‘B’ has not provided the information for many reasons, some of which may be:
- They were never informed about the need to communicate the information
- They provide nothing because they weren’t sure of the purpose and whether it was actually required
- Nothing is forthcoming because person ‘B’ believes that he or she is losing control and the ability to make decisions independently
Once there is clarity of purpose from both parties this sort of dispute tends to disappear.
It is rare that a dispute is due to a ‘personality clash’ there is usually something more concrete behind it.
Extra effort
Sometimes the team may need to go that extra mile.
The team may already be tired and feel that it can’t give any more.
How could you cope with asking them to give extra effort?
- Don’t try to beat about the bush tell the team clearly that you have an extra task for them to do which will stretch them even more
- Explain clearly what it is and why you need to do it and what results are expected
- Tell them of the consequences if it isn’t done
- Inform them exactly of what is required in terms or timing and effort
- Say that you will lead by example and tell the team of the effort you personally will put in.
- Then ask for volunteers to help
Raising motivation for extra effort is not easy but requires good communication.