Some would say it is caffeine that makes them tick, especially in the morning. But if we have time to reflect over our takeaway latte or morning cuppa, we might find it is actually our values that motivate us, determine our beliefs and spur our behaviour. Trust, is one core value is essential to create a team that hums along. Trust between team members, and trust between management and the team.
Not long ago, I observed an interesting situation while supporting two teams of IT solution/knowledge workers. Both teams were filled with exceptionally intelligent individuals, performed similar solution design work, the only difference being their knowledge specialisations. Both worked under the same high-level organisation structure and organisational values. However, one team consistently scored exceptionally high staff engagement scores and the other unfailingly low engagement scores.
The difference was how much effort the senior managers of one team put in to build the trust of their team, and protect them from the vagaries of organisational restructures and executive whims. Although the other team had similarly structured reporting lines on paper, in reality, the team members were on secondment to project teams which were more aligned to their project goals than aligning to the values and needs of the team member. Now this is a sweeping generalisation, and of course there were pockets of great managers and teams/squads, but the massive difference in engagement scores pretty much boiled down to how much the team member could trust their supervisors to have their backs, and how much they felt like they were a trusted member of a team that would stick together.
Each individual has different values and needs. If you want to explore more deeply about what makes you tick, you can register with Tony Robbins’ site and do a really simple DISC assessment and receive an interesting report on your preferred behavioural styles and Value Index:
Free DISC assessment at TonyRobbins.com
I’d love to find out the values that make you tick, and help you or your team start humming along.
