Self-aware leaders are comfortable with themselves and are always asking themselves questions about how they’re doing and how they might improve, including on issues like team building.
The standard approach to team building helps people bond casually but often neglects the deeper things that bring people together. As a leader all you have to do is look deep inside yourself and determine whether you’re ready to build great teams. Here are some key questions you can ask yourself to improve the results you get from team building.
Empathy
Do people deeply understand other people’s points of view and are they able to empathize with others?
Listening
Do people really listen to each other and let the other person say whatever is in his or her mind? Do they do it without interruptions, sarcasm, punishment, jokes or advice-giving?
Long-Term Commitment
Is your organization firmly committed to helping people build stronger teams long-term? Is there a culture of team building from the top down?
Deeper Connection
Do people interact with each other on a deeper level? Do they move past superficial conversation to really getting to know each other?
Mutual Support
Are people there for each other no matter what? Do they consistently help each other because they genuinely care?
Think about how your team building philosophy meshes with the ideas we’ve talked about. Team building can yield much greater results for your organization if you move beyond short-term efforts and shift to approaches that are aimed at the values, culture and functioning of the organization. What will you do to develop self-awareness and promote team building in your company?
Cheers,
Guy