Q Hi Ruth,
I wrote to you earlier in the year and you gave me some “gritty” advice which I took, so I wondered if you could give me some advice on another aspect of my life?
It's my workplace. I am quite senior, working for an expanding company and plan to work for a few more years. The expansion and opportunities are bringing out the worst in everyone.
There is an atmosphere of people "nudging" each other out of the way to be the best.
Yes, I agree in motivation and being the best you can be, but also in helping others and working together. How can I help make this environment more team-orientated? MA
A The holy grail in any environment where groups of people are working together has got to be great communication.
The more transparent and open the communication between everyone from the top down and everywhere in between, the more the company thrives.
When communication breaks down, factions and splinter groups form easily and individualism is free to spread like wildfire because no one is really clear about what is going on or where the company is headed – let alone their own future within the company – and so is free to invent a narrative to suit themselves.
I mention this because it may well be that the terms of that “expansion” and those “opportunities” of which you speak may have been communicated in such a way as to help foster this negative culture.
If those at the top are not crystal clear about the vision and mission of the company and how that is manifested within the company’s practices, no one else is going to be either.
How to go about achieving better communication and transparency?
Only you can identify what the first steps need to be in your particular set-up, but an obvious starting point might be to have a meeting in which everyone gets to talk about this horrible lord-of-the-flies situation that has evolved: ie, get it out in the open.
This is the beginning of what will hopefully be an ongoing conversation about the importance of communication within the company and one that crucially includes everybody, so that no one feels as though their voice isn’t being heard.
Try to use that same meeting to make clear the reality of where the company is at, where each team stands and what is expected of that team in terms of the company’s proposed expansion and opportunities.
This really boils down to communicating the vision for the company and then breaking that vision down in such a way that each team member is able to see how their role plays out in achieving success, so that everyone is invested in moving in the same direction.
Strategic planning and goal-setting are imperative and important for motivating everybody, but what is gold – motivation- wise – is being able to translate that global strategy for each team member so they can see how it will look for them when the company reaches or exceeds its goals.
It is up to the leadership to make sure everyone knows specifically what this involves for them and, crucially, to incentivise them in achieving it.
Bonuses are an obvious incentive, but simple initiatives, like awarding star team player of the week, can also be very effective.
Better position
In your situation, where people are "nudging" each other out of the way to get themselves into a better position, it also needs to be made plain that such behaviour will never be rewarded, that it is a disincentive for everybody and that it ultimately harms the company from reaching its targets.
If it is the entire culture at your workplace that is in need of a shake-up, this is not something that can be solved overnight – it is a long game – but one that it is essential that you as a company win in order to thrive. And what great fun to see it as a game.
So, in the spirit of gamesmanship, how about generating some camaraderie again among colleagues by creating a competition or two in which people are safe and free to let rip with their competitive streaks?
Something as simple as an office quiz night, for example, can be great for team bonding and unleashing healthy rivalries.
If your company has the funds and resources set aside for such activities, arrange a team-building away day or weekend, so everyone can experience first-hand the value of helping others and the fun and rewards that come from working as an effective team.
A quick Google search throws up numerous such companies devoted to corporate team-building adventures (Teambuilding.ie and Teambuildireland.co.uk).
Underpinning all this activity must be an overarching narrative that this company values communication, teamwork and collaboration above all else – which is for you and others in similar positions of seniority to create.
It may take as long as the time you have left there to achieve, but what a legacy you would leave behind.
Why not make it your goal to transform the culture of the entire company before you leave?
It would be an incredible achievement and one that would surely put your CV streets ahead of the competition in whatever it is you have planned next.
The Grit Doctor says:
Let the games begin and may the odds be for ever in your favour.
Ruth Field is author of
Get Your Shit Together
and
Run, Fat Bitch, Run
