Five realities that drive commitment in your team
We have been talking about the building blocks for a successful, cohesive team. Your team may be in the corporation, small business, nonprofit, or faith-based setting.
Today, I want to address the topic of Commitment, which is the pivot-point for any successful team. Commitment answers the questions, “What is the outcome we are signing up for?” and “What is our plan of action to achieve this result? (whether it is a final product, or an incremental feature or component)
Here are 5 realities that have a direct effect on your team’s ability to commit:
1. Understand that there is a distinction between teams and other forms of working groups, and know which you have. A working group’s performance is a function of what its members do as
individuals. A team’s performance includes both individual results and what we call “collective work-products,” which two or more members must work on together. See my previous post, Do You Have a Team or a Workgroup?
2. Team members don’t have to love each other, much less be best friends, in order to commit to a shared result and course of action. Some of your team members may actually rub each other the wrong way. Short of actual friction, it is likely that your team members have some contrasting personal styles. Some may be directive and results-oriented, in contrast with those who seek harmony and avoid confrontation. Some may enjoy talking out all of their details, in contrast with those who prefer to immerse themselves in data and standards. If you are the team leader, you can moderate this discussion, and then ask the clarifying question, “What have we agreed to do here today?”
3. On the other had, a team can have a ton of fun working together, treat each other like friends and family, and still fail to focus on the shared plan of action they signed off on. This is where the ability of peers to hold each other accountable jumps to the forefront. More about accountability in a future post.
4. That said, team pride and commitment is important to ultimate success. The commitment that arises from a team that understands their role and relishes achieving it is hard to undervalue. Teams with this type of commitment will overcome long odds due to their strength and unity and willingness to band together to get through a tough situation. Why? Because they see the effort as worth it for the good of the team and organization.
5. When teams see their work as supporting valuable and important organizational pursuits, this type of commitment is strengthened. This can’t be built without a clear understanding of organizational direction and goals, but with those in place this commitment can grow. Like the internal team commitment, this manifests in organizational pride and a clear sense of obligation to the greater good.
Where do you see gaps in your team’s road to commitment? Where should you start in fostering a more solid commitment in your team?
