I came across this quote on social media one day, and, once I’d stopped laughing, it got me thinking…
❓when we’re in a team, how do we show up?
❓how are we contributing and delivering our share of the load?
❓how are we holding ourselves accountable?
❓what standards are we setting ourselves in terms of the quality of the work we deliver?
❓what expectations are we creating in our minds of others? And of ourselves?
Because being part of a team is not a one way street.
It’s not just about what you expect from your teammates, it’s also about what they expect from you.
And we’re pretty good at letting each other down.
Primarily because we’ve never openly and honestly spoken about and agreed how we’re going to work together.
We haven’t set ground rules, or identified common values, we may not be aligned because we don’t have a shared common purpose and mission, we don’t have role clarity so we don’t know who’s doing what, we haven’t co-created an operating rhythm, or discussed how we handle conflict in a healthy way, or how we hold ourselves and each other accountable for what we said we’d do or how we said we’d behave, we haven’t even decided how to fit fun and relaxation into the schedule.
Basically, we haven’t done anything to build the foundations of trust and belonging.
We haven’t collectively agreed or committed to the what, the who, the why, the when or the how.
We’ve not had The Conversation.
We’ve gathered a group of individuals and we’ve jumped right in.
We have no shared behavioural roadmap.
So it’s not surprising that expectations of others become your own internal, creative narrative, and that because someone else hasn’t seen the script, they let you down.
You’ve set them up to let you down. And they’ve done the same to you.
If you’re part of a project that hasn’t had The Conversation, it’s never too late.
If you’re just embarking on a new project with a new team, have The Conversation now.
It makes a big difference to how you move forward…collectively.
And keep having The Conversation, because reviewing, redesigning and reconstructing is also key as things change and evolve.
Let’s not show up just to let each other down.
