It may be surprising to hear but I do NOT focus on technology when I take on a new role or business challenge. My first priority is to establish strong relationships with and between the team I lead and work with.
This begins with an evaluation of team member skills (both soft and technical) and comparing that to the expectations of IT to identify gaps. This can also be done through formal means to understand how team members think / are wired to operate i.e. conducting personality assessments (e.g. DISC, Myers Brigg, etc). More often than not, I simply observe behaviors and set the tone for how we will operate as a team e.g. paying attention to details and delivering on commitments.
In the book, “5 Dysfunctions of a Team”, Patrick Lencioni illustrated the dysfunctions in the form of a pyramid with 5 layers. The base of the pyramid is “Trust”. The top of the pyramid is “Results”.
Trust is the foundation for an effective team and the first step towards producing great results.
You cannot change the results produced by a team (or group) until you address the underlying root causes – of which the lack of trust is a major issue.
In this context, trust is the willingness to be vulnerable and admit mistakes and weaknesses (none of us is perfect nor can we do everything ourselves). Trust is also the confidence that their peer’s intentions are good (i.e. they aren’t offering to help just so they look good and make you look bad).
Teams that don’t trust each other, or don’t trust their leadership (in and outside IT) will not produce the kinds of positive outcomes the organization desires. So my first order of business is establishing relationships and trust with my team. As that is being done, the results naturally follow.
What do you think? Can a team produce positive results without trust?
PS: If you have a group that’s struggling to operate like a team, reach out to me. I have strategies I can recommend that I have successfully used to establish strong, cohesive teams in multiple organizations. And the results speak for themselves.
