As team members, we like to be inspired, yet it doesn’t take much to uninspired us.
What is NOT inspiring your team?
- He said/she said.
- When WIIFM (what’s in it for me) overtakes the common mission.
- The blame game.
- Responsibility without authority
- Authority without autonomy
- Assignment with participants who are not enrolled in the vision/mission/outcome.
- Lack of participation in determining the rules by which we play
Our ability to converse — use language — distinguishes humans from every other species. We make what people say MEAN SOMETHING, whether they meant what we heard or not. We give conversations a positive or a negative spin, depending — on what? It depends!
Studies have shown that the magnetic field can influence our moods. So how can we possibly count on teams to carry through, with all the noise in our heads?
It gets complicated. We differentiate ourselves not only with our WORDS but with our non-verbal communication. Body language can support or discount our words.
So what inspires teams to be — well — TEAMS! Teams are inspired when:
- They like one another to start with.
- A group of people who calling themselves a team rally around a common mission/vision/goal so conversations revolve around what is possible.
- The outcome or the way of being together is clear and agreed upon. When peoples’ roles are clear.
- Responsibility is matched with the authority needed to get the job done.