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Dear work Therapist - team start

nina_schmidt

We have the unique chance to start anew as a team with two new colleagues and two open-minded "old ones".
What are your top three tips for a great start and a team spirit?

And just as important: how do we manage to maintain the team spirit when the reality from the outside hits us?

Comments

John Funk

LOVE that question!

Suvradip Paul

@nina_schmidt - Nice post. I am not work therapist but just tried to share my views.

Top Three Tips in this case -

Maintain Openness and Focus on building Trust inside team
Retrospect after certain agreed interval, take feedbacks from customer and treat those positively
Team should be empowered to take decisions collectively

There might be many unprecedented challenges from outside but if the team follows the above basic tips they can overcome those hurdles.

I am eager to hear from others on this.

Cheers

Suvradip

Curt Holley

@Suvradip Paul has pretty much nailed it...IMO.

I'll add to his with:

Psychological safety is paramount. Establish and maintain it like a precious irreplaceable ingredient it is

Christine P. Dela Rosa

Dear, @nina_schmidt ,

Many overlook the importance of the team formation phase. But it is at the start of new situations that often provide the biggest opportunity for good habit-forming. In other words: it's easier to try a habit when everything is new versus change a habit once patterns and rituals are already established.

That said, my top tip three suggestions are:

Communicate expectations of each others' roles and workstyle preferences.
This informs how to work with each other in a way that works for everyone, or at least in a way that's agreed upon by everyone. After all, healthy interactions are the core of good teamwork.
Develop and document practices that support the insights shared during Tip Suggestion #1^.
It's one thing to be informed about expectations and another thing to apply those insights to the way you work. It's also a big cognitive load to have to recall the insights in the moment and personalize a reaction while working with teammates. But if, for example, a new teammate says they're very introverted, one way to appy that insight as a team, is to agree on sending pre-reads before meetings so that introverted teammates don't have to react to new information on the spot. And once that habit is formed, you won't have to think about how to be a good teammate to someone introverted.
Check-in often with teammates: do they feel like things are working well?
If this sounds like a retro on relationships to you, you're right. Just asking how individuals are doing, either related to a project or related to life in general, can translate to one person saying that they see their teammate and believe they are valuable. So the check-in (with individuals or as a whole team) goes beyond healthy habits; the check-in is a way to foster inclusivity, belonging, and motivation.

There are many ways we can sustain "team spirit." And to your point, Nina, "reality from the outside" can easily impact a team no matter the health status of a team. Even though the tips I've suggested should address the ability to accommodate changes, I think that it's helpful to reinforce team values at this point.

Does your team value openness? Support mental health? Adjust workload based on individuals being whole people and not just the part of their identity that represents work? If this sounds like your team, one way to reinforce these values is to thank a team member for adding additional time for a task due to stress from external news. Or, another example is to refer back to "an async note in a group chat about external factors" during a live meeting. Reinforcing that it's okay to talk about those things because outside factors are related to work. Perhaps the topic spins to talking about the team taking it easy on a Friday or maybe the team decides to influence their work based on what's happening externally.

Whatever your team does to acknowledge and make space for what's happening outside of work is a good thing. It means you know you don't exist in a work vacuum. And that's bringing humanity into the team.

Great question and do tell us if you apply any of the comments on this page to your new team composition!

Christine P. Dela Rosa

@Suvradip Paul I look forward to your (and other members') responses. Work Therapist or not, keep your thoughts coming!

I really like the team approach you've laid out, as good team spirit truly does come from a collective and not just a single teammate driving what they think culture looks like.

Christine P. Dela Rosa

@Curt Holley, absolutely. Psychological safety is almost the foundation of being able to do anything with your team. Because if a team isn't honest with each other, then the activities you do together will be based on something less than idael.

Great point.

Christine P. Dela Rosa

Love your positive reinforcement, @John Funk

The Teamwork Lab group isn't just for information; it's for support, too.

Benjamin_tmh9yg

Great Question @nina_schmidt .

I find that it is a huge boost when the team starts out with great chemistry. Find it easier to build a sense of trust and get good vibes. Even if that is not the case:

1. Openness and Trust

2. Commitment to the team and the goal.

3. Focus on collective Success

When the team focus on the collective success, often times from my own experience the team spirit gets stronger. The team members are more confident on reaching to the goal because they have a team to back them and they can count on each other to do their best.

How to manage team spirit when reality hits from the outside? If something is out of their team's control. Often times, transparency and delivery of team communication will aid in the maintaining the team spirit. If the team has transparency and has the opportunity to improve/change their reality, that it self will increase the team spirit. This is because the team understand why the reality is not so good and can start thinking how to make a difference. Just getting bad news without the why and what..will lead to lower team spirit, speculations, and just feeling like the team is disconnected from the rest of the orgnanization.

-Ben

Christine P. Dela Rosa

Good one! Also, I really like your note on focusing on what the team is able to control, @Benjamin. Identifying where changes come from, also identifies what change can be addressed by the team, and perhaps more importantly, what cannot be addressed by the team.

So often teams don't take a beat to assess a situation. Taking that extra beat early will address difficulties much farther down the road.

Suvradip Paul

Thanks @Christine P. Dela Rosa for your kind words.

Suvradip Paul

Thanks @Curt Holley for adding this. I completely agree with this Psychological safety one.

Daniel Ebers

Hi @nina_schmidt

starting a new team for sure can be a great opportunity!

Some thoughts based on previous situations like yours include (but do not need necessarily match any team):

1. Reserve a good amount of time to getting to know each other
No question - building a new team is exciting and everybody is looking forward to learn and see what the new environment will bring for them.
Sometimes there is some very special atmosphere where not everything is considered to be perfect right from the start (be it for documentation, processes and negotiation).
But same time there often is the intention to get 'as much as done as possible' - which basically is good.
However, from past experience it could make sense to deliberately slow down a bit for the first days (or even weeks) to get to know each other on a more personal level.
What is the background of each team member?
How do each individual prefer to work? Is is better to use Slack - or mail?
Do we have something in common (pets are a classic)? That could include preferences for having lunch, breakfast and all the things in between.

Why?
Missing that kind of conversation can make it hard to catch up on those basics - especially when the team is in full swing after a few months.

2. Early take the chance to do some kind of team-building event
Sue - that is not everyone's cup of tea but in case you are up for team-(building)events you could consider doing it as soon as the team's formation is complete.
I personally think you do not have necessarily to climb on trees to demonstrate team cohesion (but if you love to, there are event agencies that offer just THIS).
The smaller event like a escape room game, cooking a meal together or having a barbeque can have the same positive effects.

Why?
You might say this idea goes hand in hand with the first one. The difference might be that an event outside of the usual office environment (remote or not) can make an additional positive impact. You can be absolutely sure there is no meeting following the next hour and there is no work on a documentation that needs to be finished this very evening.

3. Encourage everybody to speak up early in case something goes unplanned
Curt and Christine already touched on psychological safety. This is a very important point and should be addressed openly early.
No matter a mistake was made in a document, if a team member feels discomfort for whatever particular reason or if it turned out there are different ways of working in a specific matter - team members must feel safe to address their concern without the fear of repraisal or being judged.

Why?
Forming a team can be a challenge when different personalities show up after a certain time. Communicating open and honestly what a team member feels about a situation that might have gone not so well can help to understand how the remaining team members see the situation - including what their values and experiences are. This fosters exchange and does not allow misunderstandings to pile up to a certain level when it might become impossible to address them.

How to maintain team spirit: from what I believe a strong team can show an amazing robustness to influences coming from the outside. However, getting to that state can be a lot of work and needs constant improvement.
In case a new member joins the team later on it can be helpful to keep in mind that the phases of forming a team are said to start again. This seems to happen even subconsciously and it can take a few weeks to months until the team is performing like it did before.

For your new journey, @nina_schmidt I wish you a great start and also a good amount of having fun with your new team members. A good portion of fun can make even a cloudy day so much brighter 🌞.

Cheri Hansen

I'm not a work therapist, but i play one on TV.

Take the time to experiment as to what works best for the team. Let the team figure it out!

As the team starts working together, they will identify improvement opportunities. Allow them the time to try different ways to improve. It their ideas work, great! If they don't work - oh, well - learn from it and try something different.

And HAVE FUN along the way!

Christine P. Dela Rosa

I think it's good to point out that team values in theory and practice is not one-size-fits-all, @Cheri Hansen. What works for one team may not work for others. So I like this home-grown approach. It's very empowering for those who aspire to be an autonomous team.

Christine P. Dela Rosa

So much emphasis on upfront AND regular work. Because it's the team, whether actual teammates move around or not, is constantly evolving and should be cared for as often.

Love love love, all this, @Daniel Ebers!

nina_schmidt

@Suvradip Paul Especially your points 1+3 are the main part I think - collective decisions are really build trust and team spirit

nina_schmidt

Thanks @John Funk

nina_schmidt

@Curt Holley + 1 - thanks for adding this :-)

This is my main mantra: be open, transparent, honest & reliable (as a team leader)

nina_schmidt

Thank you very much @Christine P. Dela Rosa for you input.

I read it and thought "yes, that's right"!

What I can say: we are all open for a new start and communicate openly. Cross fingers!

nina_schmidt

Good point on the "outside influences" @Benjamin

nina_schmidt

Thank you soooooo much @Daniel Ebers !!!

It's so nice of you to put so much effort into compiling these many helpful points.

And yes, I still have three weeks until the first colleague starts and then another three months for the second - so always was thinking about that reoccurring storming phase. I hope that with these great tips we can create a really quick-witted team and a trusting, open team.

Escape room and cooking - exactly two hits on my list :-)

nina_schmidt

@Cheri Hansen for sure an important point to always keep in mind, that it might not work out as wished and have something different prepared :-)

John Funk

Suggestions:

1. Start with an off-site for a couple of days at a nice resort or lodge with limited interruptions and outside influence. Then do team-building exercises - like plan a meal together and then fix the meal together. And, of course, eat the meal together.

2. Setup weekly half hour 1-on-1's between each group of people. This should mostly focus on personal/family happenings to build comradery.

3. Eat together as a team once a week if possible, if not, then at least once a month. Even if you just bring leftovers or a sandwich and sit together. Or do it remotely. But just spend time together having fun and eating and sharing. Maybe even watch a short video or Ted talk and discuss.

Christine P. Dela Rosa

Main theme I'm hearing: a focus on relationship development. Agreed.

nina_schmidt

Totally agreed @Christine P. Dela Rosa

nina_schmidt

@John Funk 2+3 are absolutely feasible, 1 depends on the big C and a budget ☺️

Sedera Randria

my experience :

share Belgian fine chocolate (Output : great discussions)
share team values (how: Lego Serious Play + Management 3.0 . Output: a beautiful framed poster that everyone can keep as a reminder of how great our team is
discuss team charter (output : up-to-date Confluence page)

We frequently redo all these 3 activities :-)

nina_schmidt

Thanks @Sedera Randria - already had these things in mind

but: what discussions do you have about chocolate: who ate most of it or about the taste? ;-)

Sedera Randria

hahaha

If a bring this chocolat box on your desk, I guess we can start some interesting discussion :-)

Fine chocolates are powerful icebreakers. People naturally come to see the box, ask questions and bring different topics. When I left Belgium, I replaced chocolate with (Lego) Serious Play activities. Purpose remains the same: get attention, create a safe space, invite discussions, build trust and quickly turn a group of people into a team

GuLzaR_4qzy41

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