The majority of us have experienced toxic workplaces, and to say the least, it will not have been a pleasant environment.
While so many companies still believe that relationship building is second to the actual work, smart businesses are realising that healthy relationships enable more productive work.
Almost every office is mixed, in its cultures, its age profile, its personalities, and its experiences. To ensure that your business is reaching its potential, working together as a team is a must. We all understand that Rome was not built in one day, but what we also know is that it was not built by just one person.
Ensure that your workspace enables vulnerability
This is particularly important within a project team. To instill a workspace that is emotionally and physically safe, it takes commitment to your team. You need to listen and understand their needs and wants. What they want from you, what they want from each other, and what they want from themselves. By doing this, you can work to provide an environment that allows them to be the best version of themselves, which in turn allows your project to be the best version of itself.
If there are no connections within your project team, then there is no culture. It is important that you practice habits that make your team feel connected to you, and towards each other. All fantastic business leaders should aim to ensure that each member of their team can speak up without fear of being judged, shamed or put down. This ensures that your employees are comfortable asking for help, admitting mistakes and limitations, and can feel safe to take risks by offering feedback.
Build an atmosphere of trust
Your team members have been selected because you believed in them to deliver a project and see it to its full potential. So, automatically assume that your team should be trusted, don’t make them earn that trust. Hear their ideas out. Who knows, it might be the quietest member of your team that can serve up a pearler of an idea that will have your project soaring to the stars. Don’t let them be overshadowed by the booming voice of a peacock who believes they own the stage just because they have been there the longest.
It is your responsibility, and it should be your pride, to maintain an empathetic and cohesive team. If you have close relationships within your project team, you will realise that they are more loyal to your company, and that they can collectively work together with an idea to achieve something extraordinary. If, on the other hand, you fail to recognise this and would rather live in an environment reflective of the Devil Wears Prada, you may see the cracks appearing in the form of blame, apathy, and communication breakdowns.
So important is this teamwork and connected culture, that in 2013 researchers Zes and Landis found that companies that performed poorly, were a staggering 79% more likely to have low self-aware employees than those companies that performed well[1]. This is simply because those that are self-aware and empathetic understand that they need to work as a team and can learn and grow from each other. They are proven to be able to perform to a higher standard, working cohesively together as a team to make higher quality decisions. This allows them to accomplish more in less time, aligning the team around the common objective of delivering a project.
As many hands make light work, so too do many minds make great work, and fantastic project delivery results.
