Some things just happen by accident. We discover an amazing recipe, a back way for our commute to work, or meet a new friend. They can’t be planned, and when they happen, it feels like magic!
Most people seem to think that work culture is one of those happy accidents.
A great work culture, according to these people, just ‘happens.’ It’s the chemistry of the team, the type of project, the temperature of the office…whatever excuse they make, it’s not their responsibility. They just get their team together, wait and ‘feel people out,’ then hope they win the ‘culture’ lottery and develop a team that works well together.
Unfortunately, that’s probably why there’s such an epidemic of toxic teams these days.
Great culture doesn’t just happen. Great teams aren’t an accident. That magical chemistry happens by design!
This is actually good news for you. You don’t have to wait for lighting to strike — you can make it happen yourself. How? Simple (not easy, of course — but good things never are).
Talk to your team. Actually ask them and actively discuss how you all want your culture to look. What are your strengths and greatest contributions to the team? How are you most likely to distract from the team? How do you want to support one another? How can you capitalize on those strengths, and not be derailed by those distractions? How do you want conflict management to look? What does each person need to succeed? What does it really mean to be a team?
Ask these questions intentionally. Make changes accordingly. Design your team to thrive — don’t wait for some distant magic that will never come! Make it happen now.
Talk to them, ask, and implement. Make that magic happen for yourself. Let me know if you need help.
Photo by Almos Bechtold on Unsplash
