Successful teams need to "align"

Canada has a species of geese called Wawa when they fly in formation, and each geese is bound by a sense of team responsibility. The leading geese must keep the geese on the correct flight path and always be alert to danger. The other geese have to look around and look out for each other. They finally reach their destination not because they can fly high, but because they fly together as a team.

Likewise, people desire to fly - to achieve their dreams and reach their goals. However, one must never fly alone, especially those in a team. They must always look ahead, look behind, and care about the well-being of those who want to fly with them. If their destination is a better way of life, then they must be committed to working with each other. If they want to fly high, they must rely on each other and fly together, or they will be dispersed by the oncoming storm.

Achieving "agreement" on goals is central to a team's success. The word "Agreement" often brings us to mind lengthy legal documents (agreements), countless "what ifs" and how to protect yourself from the unexpected. Nobody wants to be hurt. And the truth is, we'll all be more successful if we start a fresh endeavor that shifts our focus from the calamity we fear to be avoided to the outcome we want to create.

Framework

The following elements form a framework for establishing a vision and planning how to achieve the team's desired outcomes: vision; roles; commitment; time and value; Fear; constant negotiation; consequences; conflict resolution; team alignment.

1. Vision

Positive: Focus on the desired outcome.

Mistake: Only focus on the "what ifs" that might lead to bad results.

In any collaboration, you want everyone to focus on a common desired outcome: the best possible vision. This greatly increases the likelihood that the desired vision will be realized. Obviously, when you bring in new employees, you'd rather see them be aggressive than timid.

2. Roles

Positive: Make sure everyone is accountable for all critical tasks.

False: A narrow assignment of tasks to define individual responsibilities.

You need to make sure you have everything you need to get the job done. You want to be clear about who is responsible for what work, and you don't want to hear someone say, "This is not my job!"

In the past, people tended to run away; they didn't want to be responsible for getting a job done. Responsibility, because when something goes wrong, they are held accountable. Ideally, the fear of making mistakes no longer dominates the way it once did. You can't "punish" mistakes because you want to keep taking risks -- that's the heart of innovation and experimentation.

3. Commitment

Positive: Make all team members devote themselves to the work necessary for success. This dedication is not forced, but comes from their sincere belief in the mission and mission.

False: The promise is vague and ambiguous.

It is important that every member of the team understands the commitment they have made and that everyone depends on that commitment. You might as well think of this as a team action plan. If everyone lives up to their commitments, the desired results will be achieved. And every promise must have a strict deadline, because without a deadline, all promises are illusory.

4. Time and Value

Positive: Clearly state the commitment period and make employees satisfied with what they give and receive.

False: Trying to get the best return for the smallest effort results in underpaying TCs.

Be clear about when the promise will be fulfilled and when the remuneration will be paid. Make sure everyone is satisfied and feels that what they get is proportional to the effort they put in. If someone is underpaid, he will surely be dissatisfied. And disgruntled participants will never create "beyond expectations", and only dedicated employees will achieve extraordinary results.

5. Measures of Satisfaction

Positive: Establish goals that stimulate potential and can clearly measure results.

False: Find excuses for promises.

Avoid disagreements or disputes by establishing objective criteria by which the team can clearly measure the success of the original plan. For some people, making a promise that makes them clearly accountable is terrifying, so they tend to look for excuses.

6. Worry and Fear

Positive: Share with the "cooperating partner" any worries and risks that may cause anxiety that he sees or feels.

Mistake: It's none of your business, just hang up.

Remove worries and fears so that everyone can move forward with as little worry as possible. Doing so is a response to "inner worries" that may hinder whole-hearted participation. At the same time, it also strengthens the partnership between employees by clearing the tangled shadows in their hearts. This allows employees to choose to move forward despite a clear understanding of the risks. You also want to make sure that everyone is happy to take over someone else's work.

7. Constantly negotiate and adjust

Positive: Even if there are unexpected changes, try to carry out the work without any flaws.

False: Focusing on exploiting the factors of change to your advantage.

The mindset of having the courage to constantly review the status quo, adjust oneself, require perseverance in learning, and have the courage to solve problems and achieve desired results even when unexpected events occur. This is a key principle that drives every learning organization forward.

8. Consequences

Positive: Make everyone aware of the importance of commitment and failure.

False: Indicate what the appropriate "punishment" is.

The key is to keep employees in mind of their commitments and urge them to work hard to fulfill them through their own actions. It is also important to make them realize that if their commitments are not fulfilled, their expectations will be lowered as a result. Realizing this can be an incentive. "Consequences" are not used as a punishment, but as a constant reminder of the sanctity of their promises and the loss of expectations if they are not fulfilled.

9. Conflict resolution

Positive: Seek ways to get the team back on track.

False: Use the resolution process to exert influence.

Allows the team to take challenges in their stride and see them as opportunities to spark creativity in dealing with the unexpected. It's important to realize that stalling in an argument can be extremely damaging to the collaborative relationship between employees.

10. Reaching Team Consistency

Positive: Ask each team member: "Do you trust the other team members enough to maintain candid, continuous cooperation?"

False: Consider how you can get away with it.

This is a way to see if the whole process has created enough trust that you can say, "Let's get started, I'd love to move forward with you, and I'm confident that we can work together to overcome difficulties and succeed. ."

Example

A company faced a double challenge. It is not only about creating a teamwork environment for a group of technical support employees, but also the pioneering spirit of each employee. The company's leaders recognized that the key to a successful teamwork environment was making sure everyone had a common goal before taking action. In the words of company management, they advance the team building process as follows:

1. Vision: All members of the "programmer team" agree to abide by the agreed team agreement. Our goal is to be a tightly coordinated group where all employees can be competent for any position, and cross-training for positions is carried out, so that each employee can provide services to customers at any time. And our specific goal is that in two years we can be "sustainable": we can generate enough revenue to cover costs and payroll expenses.

We train each other; become competent salespeople; sell our core skills to other organizations; be role models for an "intrapreneurial company"; provide programs to the growing technology industry Competent experts to support; pool our resources so that some employees become salespeople while others are dedicated to direct or indirect revenue opportunities.

2. Role: Everyone becomes an intrapreneur (intrapreneur, refers to those managers who are imaginative, courageous, and dare to take personal risks to promote new things within the current corporate system. Robbins in In Management, intrapreneurs are defined as managers who seek to inspire entrepreneurship in large organizations, lifelong learners, and team players; recognizing that we depend on each other to become a " part of the working family". We recognize that a collaboratively managed team and a steady source of new clients are critical to success.

3. Commitment: Each of us commits to accepting rewards only as a team and giving each other honest feedback on matters affecting work and productivity. Acknowledging that we are beginners when it comes to interpersonal communication; dedicating all of our energy to team work; telling each other what we have learned in training sessions; attending team meetings on time; following the discipline we drafted for team meetings; staying in a learning state; taking turns leading a team.

4. Time and Value: Everyone agreed that the potential benefits of teamwork far outweighed the costs involved, and agreed to stick with teamwork for the next two years.

5. Measure of satisfaction: Our measure of success is sustainability, that is, how long it will take to achieve the sustainable development of the enterprise. Our goal for this is to achieve sustainable growth by allowing operating income to catch up with costs and wages over an 18-month period.

6. Worry and Fear: We fear that in six months, another trend of "management" will take its place, or that we will be relocated to other units and our operations will be completely shut down. We also often worry that our team members will move to other departments or jobs.

7. Continuous negotiation and adjustment: We understand the importance of continuous communication. In this spirit, we see our team alignment as a vibrant, ever-changing environment for working together. We agree to keep team coherence up to date - we review it monthly to make sure it always reflects the current state of teamwork. We see "teamwork" as a voluntary activity, and if someone wants to leave, he can do so.

8. Consequences: We believe that people gather firewood and the flame is high, and the collective intelligence is better than the individual. We agree that once someone violates team consistency, it's up to the team to decide what to do. We recognize that direct or indirect violations of team responsibilities can have adverse consequences. We deeply understand that if we are not successful in achieving business sustainability, our teams will be disbanded and we will lose our jobs.

9. Conflict resolution: We agree to the following rules: control our emotions, communicate with people and groups in conflict with us; ask a member to mediate, engage the entire team, and seek help from the team's coach.

10. Achieve team coherence: We believe that in this time of change and transformation, the power of collective cooperation is stronger than the power of individuals, and everyone takes turns leading the team to take on the responsibility of managing the team.

Team members commented that they enjoyed the process, found that the conversations brought about a stronger relationship, and they used team alignment as a way of onboarding new employees. Team alignment has become a guide for team operations and people management.

Originally adapted from the article Creating Team Agreement for Results by Stewart Levine, published on his website (http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_createagreement.htm) with permission from Teambuilding Inc. This article is excerpted from The Book of Agreement: 10 Essential Elements for Getting the Results You Want. The author registers the copyright. Translated by Wang Qing.

Stewart Levine is the founder of ResolutionWorks, a consulting and training firm, and author of The Book of Agreement and Getting to Resolution.