Dr. Janice Presser, CEO, The Gabriel Institute
How soon we forget what it was like to be a worker! The moment we become management, or worse, executive management, our focus has to shift from doing work to getting work done through other people. That’s when you need a new set of rules for the workplace. Try these on for size:
- Make sure your people are aware of what it means to be serving the best interests of your team or organization. Then let them show you, by how they 'team', that they 'get it'.
- Be forgiving, even when they make mistakes.
- Be merciful when they make big mistakes.
- Be compassionate: don’t place them in tempting circumstances.
- Be gracious, even to those who don’t return it.
- Be slow to anger when people disobey, and be firm but civil when correcting them.
- Be abundantly kind and assume people mean well.
- Be consistent, and be trustworthy. Never renege on a promise.
- When people do something really right, notice it, communicate it directly, and remember it!
- Realize that some people are just not up to the hard work of close teamwork, and either find a way to make solitary contributions, or bring in someone who will make life better for the rest of the team.
You won’t be perfect at first, but don’t worry. Imperfection only makes you more believably human. And that, after all, is the kind of organization you really want to run – and work for.
Dr. Janice Presser is CEO of The Gabriel Institute and architect of the underlying technology that powers Teamability™. Her new book, slated for release in 2013, will explore the theoretical and physical foundations of 'teaming,' and their profound impact on the structure, development, and leadership of teams.
