I tough that it would be useful for today's FlashbackFriday post to share a little about what I have written on team habits in past posts.
Here's what I found:
Teams365 #961: Team Habits
Examples of team habits could include:
a) Making sure everyone is wrapped up at the end of the week wtih key projects by doing a Friday morning check-in/status update and pitching in where needed
b) Scheduling in a year end retreat to support team development and team planning
c) Being ready to start work with computers on, coffee in hand at 830 (and not in the coffee room until 9)
d) Making a point of job shadowing for half a day each quarter with a different team member.
As with these examples, most, except c work in favor for the team. What happens over time is that teams can slip into habits that really do'nt benefit the entire team or its' performance.
One activity you might want to undertake as a team is to identify the top 10 habits you as a team have developed. Think about those things you consistently do. Which ones help? Which ones hinder?
Team Habits ultimately shape our team culture, an area many authors write about. Since this is an area I find myself working with teams in as well, I thought it would be useful to share what I had written on Team Culture a few years ago. Here's from an Earlier post - Teams365 #226:
"Three key areas which make up any organizational, or team culture, are your values, practices and habits. Our values form the foundation of any team. Whether explicit or not they shape what we value, prioritize and how we make decisions. As we have explored in other posts this year, consider these questions:
- What are the values of your team?
- How do these align with the organization?
- As you consider recent decisions and priorities, what values did those demonstrate?
What is above the waterline is our practices as a team. This may be a Thursday evening post-work hangout, acknowledging others in a particular way, undertaking a debrief/post-mortem after any project, or some other actions which are done consistently, and specifically by you as a team. Our practices are an important part of how we operate and communicate as a team. They are often a visible part of team culture. Once again high performing teams are intentional with the practices they undertake as a team, and are aware with how these connect to their values. In some respects, practices are values in action.
Consider:
- What are the current practices of the team?
- What is getting in the way?
Hand in hand with practices are habits. In fact you might ask what comes first, a practice which done repeatedly becomes a habit. It is these ongoing habits which really kick teams into high performance. Whether it is the habit of closing the door for half an hour or making sure a team huddle happens each Friday afternoon to review the week and prep for the next one, habits shape who we are.
Consider
- What are the habits your of your team?
- How are these supporting excellence and high performance?
- How do these connect to your values and what you prioritize?
- What habits are getting the way?"
Jennifer
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
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