How to Know if your Team is Surviving or Thriving (Podcast)
Welcome to the next installment of the Leadership Vision Podcast, where we share our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of StrengthsFinder.
In this episode, Aleasha Morris and I are talking about teams, specifically, how to know if they are thriving or just surviving. This is the first in a series of podcasts we’re recording about how to make sure your team is the most effective, efficient, and engaged that it can be! In this show, you’ll learn about the process we go through to help teams fully engage and we’ll introduce the three core elements of our Team Engagement Process: Knowledge, Purpose, and Trust.
The Problem with Teams
There are very few, if any, genuinely solitary professions that exist today. Collaboration isn’t just an industry buzzword. It has become ubiquitous in both 21st-century learning and professional practice. And it can be REALLY hard!
The issue is that while most professionals share a passion for their craft, they differ greatly from each other in philosophy, experience, expertise, and approach. Therein lies the complexity of bringing individuals together to make decisions as a team. Collaboration, in theory, differs significantly from the reality that exists in the frenzied professional arena. So while team structures exist, no one is helping teams to create their infrastructure.
We studied this with purpose and intention over multiple years. We looked at over 140 professional teams and our findings were clear. Regardless of the industry, team size, or structure, the obstacles to maintaining a healthy, high-functioning team centered around three core areas:
- Knowledge
- Purpose
- Trust
The first step towards team health is a Reflection and Team Health Check. Consider it pre-work before you jump into the other three parts of the process. This is an opportunity for your team to pause from the daily routine and take the metaphorical pulse of the team.
When you do this, you’ll have an opportunity to see who is racing ahead, who has flat-lined, who is erratic, and who is sluggish.
Questions for Assessing Your Team
Keep in mind you can rephrase these questions to fit your context. Additionally, the answers to these questions need to be shared, preferably read aloud by each team member, one question at a time. For larger teams, these conversations can happen in smaller groups with share-outs to follow.
- How are your strengths helping to lead, influence, and impact this team?
- What strength(s) of yours is getting in the way?
- What are you most proud of with your team?
- Where do you see current areas of challenge for your team?
- What strengths can you leverage in yourself and others to stimulate positive change?
Resources Mentioned
Subscribe to the Leadership Vision Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
Please contact us if you have ANY questions about anything you heard in this episode, or if you’d like to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.
About The Leadership Vision Podcast
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of StrengthsFinder. Leadership Vision uses StrengthsFinder to work with People, Teams, and Culture. We believe that knowing your Top 5 Strengths is only the beginning. In fact, our highest potential exists in the ongoing exploration of our talents.
