As a leader dedicated to fostering a thriving team culture, I’m excited to delve into a critical aspect of team effectiveness: tapping into healthy tension between collaboration and independence.
The concept is explored in-depth in my latest book, Next-Level Teamwork, and I believe the insights shared can revolutionize the way your team operates.
I invite you and your team to embark on a fun DIY activity that will help you identify the team dynamic that best suits your goals. Below are simple instructions to guide you through this enlightening exercise:
DIY Team Activity: Discover Your Team’s Playbook
- Gather your team and allocate some time for a focused discussion.
- Individually, have team members identify which sports team analogy (hockey, track-and-field relay, or gymnastics) they believe is closest to how your team ideally operates. Encourage them to suggest another type of sports team if they feel it better represents your team’s dynamics.
- Break the team into smaller groups of 3 or 4 members. In these smaller groups, discuss and compare the different analogies chosen by team members. Encourage open dialogue on how each analogy resonates with your team’s collaboration and independence.
- Have each group report back to the entire team, sharing their insights and preferences. Through this collective discussion, aim to land on a sports team analogy that seems to best capture the essence of how your team collaborates and works independently.
- Identify actionable steps to enhance the balance between collaboration and independence based on your team’s unique characteristics.
By engaging in this collaborative reflection, you’ll not only gain valuable insights into your team’s dynamics but also foster a shared understanding that can guide your journey toward optimal collaboration and independence.
