Three essential teamwork skills
The top crises our country faces now could be, if not solved, at least greatly advanced by elemental teamwork—putting aside our wildly different histories, opinions and tastes, and working together towards a common goal. Our divisions are hurting us right now, unnecessarily.
We can’t even seem to agree that wearing a mask is no more an attack on personal liberties than is not texting while driving. Or that saying “Black Lives Matter” does not imply that other lives somehow matter less.
What’s clear is that in the instances where we do choose to work together, we can accomplish the impossible. New York State went from being the epicenter of the virus to having the lowest transmission rate in the country, because of teamwork with medical experts and regional mayors. The $2 trillion CARES Act, flawed as it was, was passed in March by the most divided Congress in history and has been remarkably effective at holding the worst suffering at bay. It passed because of a rare moment of teamwork in crisis.
What’s true of these epic moments is the presence of three core elements of teamwork that we also see in our work with organizations aiming to perform at their best in uncertainty: mutual accountability, inclusive communication and continuous learning.
Like most aspects of life and work these days, teamwork is made complicated by COVID and the almost complete shift to remote work. Gone are the opportunities to share a personal moment with a colleague on the way into a meeting. Or the chance to gut-check the energy in a room before sharing an idea—or gauging the response after you do. Now, a long silent pause could mean you disagree, or that your dog sat on your keyboard and accidentally hit the “mute” button.
But here’s the good news: it is still possible to practice these three teaming skills, even over Zoom. And whether you’re a public sector team in crisis mode or a business managing all the uncertainty of this moment, you’ll benefit from them:
Mutual accountability
This to me is the foundational skill for a high-performing team because it paves the way for other skills and behaviors to flourish.
A team that practices mutual accountability is committed to a shared purpose and set of goals, to translating ideas into action and to seeing them through to completion.
When a team is skilled in mutual accountability, they’re able to clarify expectations and delegate ownership, to hold themselves and their teammates accountable to a higher standard, and to trust that each person will follow through on their commitments to the team.
A ritual to practice mutual accountability: Task tracker
This might sound simple, but we think simple is best (citing The Checklist as proof). Start a single shared document (Google Sheets works really well) and write down every follow-up and follow-up owner that comes out of discussion. The key to being really effective is spending the last five minutes of each meeting reviewing the follow-ups, and then the first five of the next meeting for a status update.
Inclusive communication
In practice, inclusive communication looks like taking the time to deeply listen to one another—not with the intention to respond, but to understand.
When a team is skilled in inclusive communication, all voices in the room are heard. In the confines of a safe space, members feel comfortable questioning their own ideas and admitting their limitations. They can also effectively manage difficult conversations by ensuring fairness and avoiding personal attacks.
I love what Vernā Myers, renowned inclusion strategist and leader said: “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance”. Are you asking your teammates to dance? Or, better question, are you asking the same teammates to dance over and over again? Try drawing out the less vocal members, you will likely benefit from hearing their perspective.
An exercise to practice inclusive communication: Active listening
The following works for 1:1 conversations (where you might start by asking: “What’s on your mind?”) and also for team conversations. You don’t need to try all the steps. This should feel natural, not forced.
Ask questions, when appropriate, to encourage teammates to elaborate on their thoughts or feelings.
Express empathy by validating feelings, not questioning them.
Avoid giving advice, unless specifically requested.
Avoid passing judgment, your goal is to understand not necessarily to agree.
Once someone is done speaking, paraphrase what you think you have heard.
Be mindful of your body language and facial expressions.
Continuous learning
Continuous learning depends on having what Carol Dweck refers to as a “growth mindset”. It stems from the belief that individuals (and teams!) can learn and grow from each failure and each success.
When a team is skilled in continuous learning, they are able to view failure as an opportunity for improvement. Members are willing to give and receive feedback, no matter how difficult. They challenge one another to learn new skills, consider new perspectives and step outside of their comfort zone for the sake of continuous improvement.
A ritual to practice continuous learning: After Action Review
The next time your team has an event (e.g. a project milestone, a board meeting, a virtual Town Hall) hold an “After Action Review” within 24 hours. Take turns as a team answering these four questions:
What happened?
Why do you think it happened?
What did we learn?
How will we apply those learnings?
*Tip: Suspend judgment until question #2.
Lead, and vote, with love—
Hilly