There can be three responses to the unexpected: 1) The Toolbox (fix) 2) The Denial (hide) 3) The Lesson (learn) The first two responses are the most natural responses to the unknown. They are fear-based responses that usually help the team make up their mind too quickly to respond with discretion. Unknown circumstances only come with inexperience.
“Circumstances often arise that require an application of both discretion and valor” (one of my favorite quotes of Captain Jack Sparrow). It takes discretion to understand what caused the discrepancy between the desired result of the team and the reality that just occurred. It also takes valor to face the fact that the cause for the discrepancy
There are times when everything goes as planned. The expected outcomes come along on schedule as goals are met within their timelines. This is fortunately a rare occasion. How boring would life be if everything was so obvious? Usually the expected outcome is surprisingly elusive. Problems are why the team exists. To treat problems as some inconvenience
The team will only be as effective as its methods of accountability. Those methods usually fall into two categories: 1) Methods that make us feel good 2) Methods that make us better We tend to improve what we intentionally track and measure. We also tend to avoid tracking areas that need improvement where we have no real
Mature teammates respond with an appropriate reaction. They dismiss the irrelevant and respond to the important. The immature live in the irrelevant and thus the energy of a team is too often wasted on them. Giving teammates too much responsibility too soon will cost the team valuable energy during the inevitable learning curve that must take place.
Every team dynamic depends on healthy interpersonal skills and mature interactions between teammates. Maturity can be simply defined as knowing the difference between what is a big deal and what is not. Maturity is not demonstrated in tenure or chronological age (tenure on earth). There are plenty of older people who do not act their age when
Teams too often leave measurables to subjectivity and ultimately get blindsided by the ramifications of that choice. If we are caught asking the question, “How did we get here?” we have likely been relying on subjective judgement and dismissing the facts that would have prevented our current circumstance. Emotion can cloud reality and emotions are what drive
Subjective goals are slippery for a reason. Objectivity relies on accurate assessment that can be black or white. A pass or fail situation can put a lot of pressure on a team. True accountability is found in objectivity. Either something happened or it didn’t. However, a subjective opinion can be disbelieved and therefore anything that stands against
Information helps us understand our situation better. Every team has an expected deliverable that they are responsible for. These are the things we measure to make sure we are on track. If I don’t ever weigh myself, I am going to have a hard time understanding the ramifications of my diet. If I get bad news from
Goals are important because they help a team aim at a direction or accomplishment but they can be difficult to develop. Most people struggle with writing effective goals and therefore sabotage their team’s long-term effectiveness. Goals set our sights toward the future but if a goal is not measurable, achievable, and specific, it will have a detrimental