Mikolaj's Monday Maunder - The foundation of real teamwork

Inspiration and lessons for your leadership journey!

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“Trust is the foundation of real teamwork.  And so the first dysfunction is a failure on the part of team members to understand and open up to one another.  And if that sounds touchy-feely, let me explain, because there is nothing soft about it.  It is an absolutely critical part of building a team.  In fact, it’s probably the most critical."
~ “Kathryn” in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni ~

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Patrick Lencioni points out a fundamental element of team-building:  If you and your team don’t have authentic trust, you don’t really have a team.  John Maxwell teaches, “Trust is the foundation of leadership.”

So if trust is the foundation for both team-building and leadership, what is trust like on your team?  Most leaders think there is trust on their teams and that their direct reports trust them, but consider the following:

A 2007 Florida State University study published in Leadership Quarterly revealed:

• 40% of employees report working for a lousy or abusive boss
• 39% of employees reported that their supervisor failed to keep promises
• 27% noted that their supervisor made negative comments about them to other employees or managers
• 24% reported that their supervisor invaded their privacy
• 23% indicated that their supervisor blames others to cover up their own mistakes or to minimize embarrassment

A 2013 BlessingWhite Employee Engagement Update discloses some eye-opening numbers on employee engagement in North America:

• Nearly 60% of workers are disengaged at some level
• 15% are fully disengaged

Chances are that the level of trust your direct reports have with you and the level of trust between members of your team may not be at the level you think it is.  I challenge you to increase your awareness of trust on your team. 

Here are 15 signs of a low-trust team:

1. Missing or failing to achieve deadlines, metrics, or goals
2. Producing mediocre work
3. Doesn’t take risks thereby choking innovation
4. Guarded communications
5. Subgroups or cliques
6. Flurries of back door, private emails, and hushed conversations
7. Fake or false, happy “team talk,” lip service, mask-wearing; not having those authentic, open, difficult, and crucial conversations
8. Team members just go along without much real interaction, problem-solving, feedback, engagement, or healthy conflict discussions and resolutions
9. Leader and others do not model active or empathic listening
10. A focus on individual recognition instead of team accomplishments
11. Team members try to hide mistakes, shortcomings, and flaws
12. Not asking for help
13. Dread team meetings
14. Holding of grudges
15. Assuming negative intent of fellow team members

If you would like to learn more about trust and how to build it, I devote an entire chapter to trust in my latest book, A Travel Guide to Leadership. 

But whatever you do, you cannot have a high-performing team until you lay the foundation of authentic trust.

If you like this week's blog, I encourage you to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues and join me on my journey to empower and inspire millions of people around the globe.

Together we can spread words of Encouragement, Inspiration, Empowerment, and Loving Leadership!

Together we can make a difference!

Have an amazing journey today!

Alan

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