The Eye in Team
You’d hear it from your second-grade teacher or right out of the script of a made-for-Disney movie: “There’s no ‘I’ in team.” Though phonetically correct, an alternate route takes it out of basic cable and into a permeating function of your professional life: there are many eyes in your team and on your team – make them count.
Whether you work with a large group of high-caliber executives or a small group of colorful creatives, all eyes will inevitably be on the work you produce. This means that your team, from the bulk to the bits, needs their ideas, their opinions, and their reasons to be trusted; additional eyes matter.
Easily said, easily ignored.
The next damning epithet: “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” This utterance makes the inner control freak in us all jolt – unfortunately, there’s no room for control within a company. You can’t do it all yourself, and if you could, would you really want to? The greatest thoughts come from a team of skilled and inspired experts in each craft, so trusting in them can be an honor – not a horror. Once you let everyone stake their own claim and pull their own weight, the right idea can truly be lifted up.
So, before all employees can comfortably lend their eyes – and their ears – you have to earn their trust to do so. From the arches of a leader or a fellow, everyone needs to be on the same page. So, how do you get there?
Be Patient
No, this patience does not come in the form of extending deadlines, but it can show its head in ways of breaking down the process. With a goal-oriented approach rather than a rigid timeline that takes members step by step, you can show your hand in matching your work’s flexibility with everyone else’s.
Be Transparent
A leader or a team member who doesn’t share their thoughts and motives can create a divide in both an individual project and the larger workflow. Sharing your actions and explaining your process can only create an indispensable understanding between you and your team.
Just Listen
Listen to feedback, listen to ideas, listen to problems – they all matter. Being open and responsive to conversations that are constructive or conversational can go a long way in building trust between yourself and your team.
Play Your Part
Everyone has a role in this ensemble, and once you realize that each section of each segment of each person’s to-do list is paramount to success, the ship can sail smoothly. If you hold your own weight, the rest of your team will feel empowered to do the same; no need for an ‘I told you so’ to live in your back pocket.
Prepare
Marginal failure should be a freefall with a nearby net, not an expectation. If your team is filled with the right people, including yourself, this downward spiral can swiftly be turned to a cobwebbed Plan B. And, if the process is properly handled, there should always be slivers of room where you can remedy the situation before something is shown to the client or past due.
Be the “I” in team that stands for inclusion, not the “E” for exception. Because when everyone’s eyes can matter, the trophies can be shared – and it’s safe to say that celebrating alone isn’t on anyone’s bucket list, either.