How to make your teams more efficient by removing friction

Constant friction gets even the most talented teams stuck.

You know your team can perform at a higher level, deliver higher-quality outputs, faster and with fewer hiccups – but how to get there? You've tried everything – one-on-ones, communication trainings, leadership development for your line managers... – and nothing!

But listen, it's not your fault. The friction is caused by complex issues outside of your control: humans!

The momentum-killing effect of person-to-person friction

Person-to-person friction shows up in different ways. Here are some ways it could be showing up on your team:

• an irritated sensation every time certain members come together (in a meeting or a conversation)

• people tuning out of conversations during team meetings if they "don't need to contribute" (for example, by looking at their phone or computer)
• eye-rolling whenever a specific subject is brought up

When any of these symptoms is frequent, team members feel wary about going into meetings with colleagues or clients, and drained afterwards.

As a result, people avoid working together, asking for help, or offering it. Communication feels curt and transactional.

Progress is stalled, bringing about a sensation that "we're going 'round in circles" – the, "here we go again" feeling we get when, no matter how many hundreds of conversations we've had about something, we can't get past square one.

The three conditions that ensure team momentum

Dialogue

Whatever the problem is, keep an open 2-way channel of communication with everyone on the team. Prioritize frequent, transparent, and open dialogue in a team setting (one-on-ones are great but insufficient).

As a leader make an effort to hear it all–the good, the bad, and the ugly–keeping in mind that nothing poses a greater threat than the unspoken issues lurking in the background. And make sure that everyone hears it all too!

Train your people not to react to whatever their colleagues might bring up. Give everyone ample time and space to respond.

Above all, make sure you reward speaking up – ensure that there won't be repercussions for voicing unpopular opinions.

Disagree and commit

Allow room for disagreement and open conflict.

When people disagree openly, they feel their opinions have being heard. Even if they don't "win" the argument, they know they've had a say.

Then, make it very clear that the final decision is yours and, once you make it, people will need to commit 100%.

Zoom out

Train your people to look at the team and its mission from the 30,000-foot view.

Getting past the individuals and focusing on the team's mission will keep the work advancing. But watch out: focusing on the team's mission doesn't mean, "ignore people's problems and move forward." Again, prioritize dialogue in the face of individual's challenges.

What you gain when your people can work well together

People that work well together and are open to peer-review...

• implement strategies faster (re: higher productivity)
• execute with more accuracy (re: enhanced effectiveness)
• deliver better quality (re: increased customer satisfaction)

... and that's what drives business success.

The most complex part of every business is people. I help businesses get that part right so that they can focus on growing profit margins.

Let me know what your people challenges are!

Carolina