Team Wellness

When people think of the word ‘team,’ they often imagine a larger group of talent with interlocking roles. They repeat the adage about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. They measure the impact of effective leadership and good chemistry while imagining some pro sports team winning a world championship. While all of this can be accurate, it is a stereotype. Teams assume many forms.

Some people seem happy all the time. Whether at work or play, they move from event to event with a bounce in their step and a twinkle in their eye. It’s not that adversity doesn’t come their way – it’s that they manage it with grace. Is this simply because they were born with a cheery disposition? Have they just faced less trauma than their peers who appear filled with consternation? Perhaps they’ve developed a better arsenal of coping skills. Or maybe they’ve discovered the elusive secret to a satisfying life.

Granted, it’s not over. The delta variant appears more contagious than the alpha. Businesses are rethinking the wisdom of requiring workers to return to the workspace. Many industries are requiring full vaccinations and/or repeated proof of negative COVID tests to stay employed. Those of us in client-facing roles are reinstituting masks and social distance. As we brace for another wave of adaptation, let’s take stock of what we’ve learned.

Adult coping skills are built for crisis management. Some fight, some flee and some freeze. Each instinct has value. The fighters take action, the fleers seek safety and the freezers observe. Action, safety and observation are all important aspects of navigating trouble. In the moment of the challenge, the body ramps up some functions (heart rate, brain speed) and slows down others (immune system, digestion). All of this is designed to make us more focused and efficient under duress. However, this heightened state is unsustainable for long periods. These days, you don’t have to look too far to find a team falling apart under the pressure of prolonged stress.

What actually constitutes a team? Two or more people working on a common goal? Not if they are working in silos. It’s entirely possible for coworkers to wear the same uniform, share the same space and toil away at the same objective yet still not function as a team. They aren’t a team until their successes and failures are tied together. They have to put their lives in each other’s hands.

Productivity and profitability are not always indications of a healthy team. Often, they occur at the expense of employee satisfaction and workplace culture. When money is being made, it’s easy to overlook the soul-sucking interactions that get normalized over time. Anyone who has ever been in this type of environment knows the compromise. Sunday nights are filled with dread yet you drag yourself in on Monday morning. Friday brings relief and Saturday is devoted to recuperation. Weeks turn to months and months turn to years. Before you know it, you’re old.

Some teams don’t need a rigorous consultation engagement to get their business on track. If nothing is terribly broken, a small tweak might be enough to make a big difference. Strong relationships of all varieties get in the habit of regular self-checks. Usually, everything is fine. Sometimes, though, the team is alerted to the beginning of a problem. If you catch it early, the trouble never has a chance to take root. Here are some key questions to ask if your team needs a minor adjustment.

Someone on the team needs to stay focused when chaos hits. Once adrenaline is dumped into everyone’s blood streams, the fight-flight-freeze instinct takes over. Our best intentions to remain calm get hijacked by the contagious emotion of the group. The teammate with the best coping skills becomes the leader. Here are some tips.

“Team chemistry” is hard to define. Everyone knows it when they see it. Teammates appear locked in to success, whatever the endeavor might be. Colleagues anticipate each other’s needs. Players play with field vision. Interdependence unfolds naturally. However, teams don’t just conjure up chemistry like magic. There is a recipe. Unfortunately, it takes a level of sacrifice few teams are willing to make.

Eventually, there is a tipping point. Once an organization decides to address team culture, a tremendous amount of effort is exerted before employees can discern the difference. The shift from current state to desired state is filled with both pain and hope. It happens in stages. Once the process has traction, a lone voice or a single action is enough to propel positive momentum. Let’s take a look at each stage.

The drivers of workplace behavior can be both selfish and altruistic. Our personal desire for achievement can overtake our mission to advance the lives of others. When our own needs clamor for satisfaction, the greater good sometimes gets sacrificed. Few of us, however, live in isolation. Most of us are members of relationships, families, teams, and organizations where goals are shared.

When the toxic element of a team devolves to a mutiny, the chance of repairing a broken culture is slim. Intractable positions only end in standoffs. Of all the reasons teams become stuck, this is the least healthy. The bulk of the team’s energy is consumed in reacting to its demise. At this stage, choices are limited. You can stay stuck or move forward.