NAVIGATING HEALTHY TEAMS TOGETHER

Feb 27, 2017 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

Last summer we went on an “adventure” with three other couples. We all happened to be parents of girls who played travel softball together over the years. We stay in touch and appreciate the friendships we have built.

The “adventure” we went to was an escape room where we were placed in a locked room and the only way to “win” was by finding and decoding clues to allow us to unlock several locks on the door to “escape.” Admittedly some of us were not convinced before beginning how we would like this experience, but we will say, everyone went in with a very positive attitude.

We all were glad to be with one another and enjoy the connection of the relationships. But, again, we learned much by the adventure. Some thoughts from this experience:

1. We just loved being with each other and catching up on our families. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner after the adventure, shared stories, and plenty of laughter.

2. We could only accomplish the goal by working together. Some of us were strong and relentless in not giving up on finding clues. Others were very gifted at deciphering difficult equations and symbols.

3. We had a unified effort and humble spirits to say, “I am not good at this. Who is and who can help?” What great attitudes and humility. No one forced their way to take anything away, rather to watch different ones take leadership at different times was great, and several strong personalities graciously gave leadership by stepping aside or stepping up when needed. Attitude makes a difference.

4. We had FUN!

SO WHAT ABOUT YOUR TEAM?

Stay connected: Every team must take time to connect. If you don’t know what is happening in the other people’s lives, you can’t relate to them in the work environment as effectively. What joys can you celebrate with them? What heartaches are they suffering through? Not everyone will open up to you every time. But you need to make the effort to connect and then listen carefully to what is said and what is not said to gain insight into others’ lives.

Work together: It never benefits a team for members to go rogue. It’s in the collaboration where the magic happens. Each person is created with individual abilities and learned skills that they can contribute to the whole. Allow everyone to be a part — encourage it. You may be surprised what nuggets of gold come out of listening to each contribution made.

Leave your egos at the door: When walking into a team project, you must remain humble in the process. There may be times where your point is important enough to fight for, but those are rare times. Pick your battles. Allow others to win. Everything does not live and die on your idea. Value the input of others. Just because it isn’t the way you would do it, does not mean it’s a bad idea. Step away from always putting in your two cents and celebrate the creativity of the people on your team. You will learn to value others, and they will get a win. The path to a goal has many roads. Take someone else’s road with a supportive attitude and win.

Have fun: Now hear us, we believe in a strong work ethic. If you have an assignment, you do everything in your power to complete it with excellence and on time. But it doesn’t have to be a drudgery. Make room for laughter and sometimes even shenanigans. There are too many serious things to face in life without having our jobs be one of them. Laugh, dance, joke, take breaks, go run around the building if you need to. Take a long lunch or go bowling. It really doesn’t matter what level of fun you do; it matters that you are having fun together. Be productive with joy.

What about your team? How are you doing at becoming a unified unit with others, working together to accomplish a common goal? How can you make the experience enjoyable, while getting results? How will you set aside your ego to allow others to step up and take the lead in an area of expertise?

It’s all about relationships!

~ Jim and Jerolyn

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