You're Not A Team Player!

sdsHow many times have we all heard someone say this in our organizations or teams? 

Honestly, that phrase makes me cringe, and I am frequently in danger of my eyes sticking permanently in the back of my head due to my reaction.

First, what does that statement even mean? What or who defines the ideal team player?

For me, Patrick Lencioni (Best-Selling Author of The Ideal Team Player) does a beautiful job of describing the top three characteristics of the ideal team player. He defines the ideal player as one who possesses the attributes of being HUMBLE, HUNGRY, and SMART. I've provided a link to Pat's brief TEDx talk below so that you can hear about these characteristics and their value to your teams and organization.

Second, how can being an ideal team player help our organizations amidst the almost overnight move to working virtually and the need to shift business focus and priorities during the COVID situation?

In stressful times, we can become victims of our own biology. Our brains are wired to ensure our safety and survival, which means during times of crisis, we can forget to focus on how we may be coming across to others; to respond with empathy in our interactions; to honor the human need to feel a sense of belonging and contribution. Basically, we can begin to focus only on what is best for ourselves and lose sight of the feelings or needs of others.

So what?

Since no person is an island unto themself, it's never been more critical for teams to effectively work together to address business challenges to continue to add value at the individual level. And, doing this virtually adds an additional level of complexity to getting things accomplished. How do we tap into the rhythm of the cohesive team? How do we ensure each team member is working at the "ideal" level? More importantly, how can team members assess themselves against these three characteristics of HUMBLE, HUNGRY, and SMART to know their strengths and work to do better for the sake of the team?

During this time of crisis, it is important to help one another be better and do better. After all, it may mean the difference between failure and survival of our businesses. To be supportive, I decided to share a brief exercise your teams can do to refocus their energy to travel the ambiguous road ahead – TOGETHER! 

Just-in-Time Action for Teams

I encourage you to share the "team-building" exercise with leaders and managers across your organization. Teams need to focus on their cohesiveness, especially amid crises. 

Have each team member watch Pat's 15-minute TEDx, where he describes the characteristics of the Ideal Team Player.

Have team members assess themself relative to the Three Virtues of an Ideal Team Player, using The Ideal Team Player Self Assessment.

?Schedule time for debriefing individual results during a series of three pre-scheduled team video calls.

To maximize the positive impact of the team sharing and to minimize the effect on the team's day-to-day priorities, I suggest having this conversation over three weeks. Like this: 

• Week 1: Humble 
• Week 2: Hungry
• Week 3: Smart  

Here is a proposed approach to the weekly sessions. Feel free to make it your own, but as Pat Lencioni states on the self-assessment, "the real value will be found in the qualitative, developmental conversations among team members and their managers. Don't focus on the numbers, but rather the concepts and the individual statements where you may have scored low."

1. Managers schedule a team video call specifically for this activity and nothing more. Don't dilute the importance of this action by clouding it with other agenda items.
2. Team members take turns sharing the total score for a specific attribute (Hunger, Hungry, or Smart), and the statements where they scored they scored low.
3. Encourage team members to provide one another feedback on those low-scoring statements being shared.
4. After receiving feedback, allow each individual to choose the one thing they will START, STOP, or CONTINUE doing in relation to the area being discussed. Encourage the team to hold one another accountable for changing the behaviors identified.
5. Don't forget to check in periodically to assess progress and when one behavior has been shifted, encourage reassessment and ongoing development.

Get it on the calendar! Pre-schedule the conversations on the same day and time over the three weeks and hold that space sacred to focusing on your team development. 

In closing, during this time, I am here to offer support to clients, colleagues, and new connections during this time. That can look like an empathetic ear, a trusted executive or leader advisor, a coach, or share a methodology or tool to help others with a specific challenge. Right now, the important thing is to be of service to one another. I encourage everyone to be of service to one another right now. You can contact me through LinkedIn messenger or email at [email protected].

Be safe, and stay well!

Thom Qafzezi