When I ask people to tell me about a time they’ve been on a winning team, roughly 9 out of 10 tell me a story from high school—sports, band, or clubs. Why is that?
After 35 years of teaching team building, I’ve often wondered: Why don’t we have more examples from our professional lives? After all, high school is far behind us. Well, I’ve developed a few theories about the “missing ingredients” among professional teams.
The Power of Play
As adults, we lose the sense of playful exploration that challenges us to try new things. In our youth, we embraced “practice,” as a natural part of growth, and understood it meant trying, failing, and improving. Play creates a safe space for experimentation and growth, something often missing in corporate settings.
The Impact of Celebration
In sports or performing arts, success has clear markers: a final score, a standing ovation, a championship trophy. In business, it’s easy to skip the celebration because we’re eager to tackle the next task. But celebration matters—it’s how we acknowledge hard work and take time to appreciate each other. Remember how much we missed celebrations during the COVID lockdowns? Days felt endless without something to look forward to. Celebration takes discipline, and it’s worth the effort.
The Trifecta of Purpose, People, and Process
Winning teams know what success looks like from the start:
Purpose: Clear, shared goals that define success
People: Well-defined roles and responsibilities
Process: Established “rules of engagement” and necessary resources
Imagine playing football, Monopoly, or being in a band without any of these elements —it would be chaos! The same applies to professional teams.
Why Models Matter
Teams are made up of people, and people aren’t predictable. A model offers a baseline for shared expectations and predictable processes. It also provides a framework for communication, making people feel comfortable sharing ideas and handling disagreements.
Our Stretch model focuses on Purpose, People & Process.
A team that feels trust and openness is far more likely to succeed. In fact, Google’s Project Aristotle found these two factors were the most important for determining a team’s success, outweighing individual talent or skills. Creating this type of culture requires leaders to show empathy, encourage honest communication, and provide tools for resolving conflict.
The stakes are significant: workplace conflict costs U.S. companies approximately $359 billion annually in lost productivity, turnover, and low morale. By shifting from a culture of conflict to one of connection, we build teams that work at their best.
Three Pillars for Creating Trust and Openness
- Empathy is Essential
Empathy forms the bedrock of trust and openness. Leaders who show empathy actively listen, invite feedback, and create a space where everyone feels valued. Empathy means not only understanding but taking action to support a positive environment.
Actionable Tip: Create regular check-ins to listen to team members’ thoughts, challenges, and ideas. Feedback is powerful; you don’t have to agree with it, but without it, you’re working in the dark.
- Growth Requires Conflict
Conflict is natural and necessary, like a plant pushing through the soil to grow. How a team manages conflict determines whether it strengthens or weakens trust. Conflict-resolution training gives team members the skills to handle disagreements constructively, fostering understanding and teamwork.
Actionable Tip: Offer workshops on conflict resolution and communication to equip your team with tools for addressing disagreements collaboratively.
- Use Shared Language
Shared language reduces misunderstandings and builds unity. Phrases like “I see it this way” or “Another way to look at it is…” help people share different viewpoints respectfully. This common language builds bridges and reduces misunderstandings, allowing people to discuss, debate, and decide with respect.
Actionable Tip: Develop a “language of teamwork” document with phrases for respectful communication. This is why I’m a strong advocate for Culture Activators to empower team communication.
Assessing Your Team’s Trust Level
Here are three questions to ask to see if your team feels open and trusting:
- Do team members feel safe sharing ideas without fear of negative consequences?
- Is feedback openly shared and valued by both leaders and team members?
- Are disagreements handled respectfully, leading to honest and productive discussions?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, your team is likely on the path to strong, inclusive resilience. If not, consider how you might enhance trust and openness. Reach out to Melissa, our Business Coordinator, at Melissa@thewineingercompany.com to schedule a 30 minute Connection Call so we can discuss your results.