Productive teams are...............
I led a senior team build recently that demonstrated the time saved and the improved decision making that can follow when teams can really say what's going on. Starting with themselves. So a converation that started to overheat and become a competitive turf battle was slowed down. After a little exploration the team members were able to express the anxiety that was fuelling their competitive behaviour, and in a way that the others could understand and even empathise with. Agreement soon followed, meaning progress on the issue at hand, and a commitment from team members to articulate their feelings when relevant to the situation.
This team is starting to perform at a high level of sophistication, and are already being perceived in a far more positive way by colleagues and followers. But it has taken a good deal of work by them, and exceptional leadership by the team leader in modelling what's been needed. In particular following Patrick Lencioni's prescription to 'Go First' in demonstrating the trusting behaviour that means "I'm willing to learn about myself, how I'm perceived, and how I can be more effective". That takes real courage. And the results were "extremely productive" - as one senior leader reported afterwards.
