The Three Things Every Team Needs to Change
If there was something obvious, you would know what it is. If you'd had an infrastructure collapse, or huge debts, or a hostile takeover, the cause of the problems would be clear.
If this headline has grabbed you it is probably because things don't feel great where you work right now. But, you are not sure why. Am I right?
If there was something obvious, you would know what it is. If you'd had an infrastructure collapse, or huge debts, or a hostile takeover, the cause of the problems would be clear.
When I coach teams and leaders in organisations, it's rare that there's something as obvious as this. It's just that things feel off. Things are not clicking. People are bickering. Projects are not succeeding. And nobody can put their fingers on why.
The truth is, of course, that every organisation is unique. And the challenges you face will have their own local flavour.
But what if I told you there are three things that almost always make things better? Three things that I've helped with, time and again, team after team, to unblock things and bring back the flow. Three things I know you could improve.
You'd want to know what they are, wouldn't you?
And now you are thinking, here's the point where Stephen tries to sell you something. Where he says, "for only £99 you can access my...{insert PDF link}". Where he gets you to book a sales call before he tells you anything.
Well you'd be wrong. The three things every organisation needs to change are:
- How you meet
- How you make decisions
- How authority is distributed.
Let me give you some insight on each of these topics.
How You Meet
Most organisations get bogged down in meetings that are ineffective. A big part of my team coaching is about making this better.
But, here's the headline. A meeting should only be held to decide, to learn, to do, or to bond. If you are not 100% sure which of these your meeting is for, cancel it. Go on. Actually cancel it. It's a waste of everyone's time.
How You Make Decisions
Great, now your schedule is clearer, ask yourself, "do we know how we make decisions?"
I mean, do you really, really know? Do you vote? Does the team leader make them? How do you discuss things before a decision is made? Do you include people before a decision is made? Or do you inform them after a decision is made? Does everyone understand this, or just the managers?
If you don't know, don't feel bad about it. I rarely meet a team that is good at this. They have a vague sense of inclusion usually, but no clarity on the why decisions can and should be made.
So, maybe have a meeting "to decide" how you make decisions (see what I did there?).
How Authority is Distributed
Finally, and related to these two other points, is it clear how authority is distributed? Does everyone understand that? Is it upheld even when choices are hard? It isn't is it...
For example, a common problem I see is that directors devolve powers over projects to heads of service. The heads of service work enthusiastically on the project with their teams and come up with a great plan. Then the director changes the outcome if they don't like what they see. Cue unhappiness all round.
The problem here isn't that the director is flaky. Or that the heads of service are stupid. The problem is that it wasn't clear where the authority sat. In truth, the director never devolved the power. Which is fine, as long as that is clear to everyone. So, make it clear from the start.
Summary
In summary, there are many ways organisations get into difficulty. If there's a fire, call the fire brigade. But if you are just not flourishing, look at how you meet, how you decide and how authority is distributed. You'll be amazed the difference it makes.
Let me know how you get on.
Stephen
If this inspires you and you would like to now more about my team coaching and workshops, hit reply.