Team happiness and alignment

The team I lead seems to have varying levels of engagement, with some team members seemingly more focused on “what’s in it for me” or “what can I get” from any activity.  As a result, getting the team to be proactive and to act with urgency is nigh on impossible.

I recently read an article in The Australian Financial Review that mentioned the key to employee engagement is to ensure your employees are happy.  Seems simple, but how do I achieve this and will it help me get the team acting positively together?

Happiness certainly is a factor for a team working positively together, however it alone is not always the answer to team productivity.  I have worked with many teams that get on well, socialise with each other regularly and would rate very with regards to positivity, but which would score low on productivity.  In a business environment, getting along great is not enough: the team also needs to produce the outcomes required by the business.

 Teams are created to achieve results that cannot be achieved by an individual. They are a system, and like any system, they have their unique culture and ways of operating.

 Before we look at the team as a whole, who are the individuals who make up your team? What are their individual strengths? What motivates each individual?

 Where is there alignment between what motivates the individuals in your team and what motivates the whole team? This can be important information and it can be used as a starting point to discuss team goals, responsibilities and accountabilities.

 What is the purpose of your team?  What is the team’s mission?

 The team’s mission is a place where you can make a shift from focusing on individuals and roles (this shift helps to avoid defensive behaviours and blaming) to a focus on the team itself as a system created to deliver an outcome. What is that outcome?

What would a team conversation be like that focused on the team as an entity, or a system?  What is the question this conversation would revolve around?

To answer your question, how can you shift the conversation to  ‘What’s in it for us?’   Once the conversation between team members comes from this place, collectively you will be able to resolve the issues that you are facing. Often team leaders feel they have to have all the answers, but you don’t.  You have talented individuals in your team who want to be successful. Make them do the work with you.  As for their individual happiness, it’s up to them.

Pollyanna Lenkic is the founder of Perspectives Coaching, an Australian based coaching and training company. In 1990 she co-founded a specialist IT recruitment consultancy in London, which grew to employ 18 people and turnover £11 million ($27 million). In this blog Pollyanna answers questions from our readers on issues they are experiencing leading or being part of a team.  She offers insights on teams and team dynamics. For support and information on team days run by Perspectives Coaching see here. Her previous Blog for SmartCompany, 2nd Time Around was about the mistakes she made and the lessons she learned building a business the first time round and how to do it better second time round.