Team Building Tips

Recently, Stephen Smith of the Boston Globe reported on a study from Swedish researchers on ineffective management. "Workers saddled for four years with managers who were inconsiderate, opaque, uncommunicative and poor advocates were about 60 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack or other life-threatening cardiac condition."

The number one reason teams fail is a failure in relationships. The sobering fact from the Swedish study is that not only could bring about the death of your team, it could also bring about your untimely death.

"It is a proven fact that from 66 to 90 percent of all failures in the business world are failures in human relations." --Les Giblin

3 ways to improve relationships

1. Communicate clearly - Saying what you mean and meaning what you say goes a long way with team members. If you don't know, you don't know. Don't make things up or give a vague answer to save your face. Admitting that you don't know and committing to finding the correct answer is a great way to maintain relationships.

2. Show you care - Life is less about you and more about other people. Until each person comes to grips with that reality, the relationships on your team will suffer. Selfishness and internal competition between team members can create a negativity that will pull focus away from what's important. An atmosphere of care and respect will produce selfless team members willing to make sacrifices for the greater good.

3. Build and maintain trust - The fundamental building block to creating unity and synergy in a team is trust. When it's weak, your team's ability to perform weakens. When it's strong, your team moves forward to the future stronger and faster.

Bottom line: Improving the relationships is a matter of life and death.

Mike Weaver, is co-founder and facilitator with The Group Mind, http://thegroupmind.com We work with organizations to great teams, and help them discover creative solutions to vexing problems. Our workshops are highly experiential, fun, dynamic, insightful, and create lasting positive impacts with everyone involved. Visit our website at the above link for more information about teambuilding with The Group Mind.