Team Wellness

This is the time of year when businesses are looking for creative ways to thank their most loyal clients for their patronage. While a fruit basket aptly sends a message of gratitude, it falls short of communicating an investment in continued partnership. A few imaginative companies have taken a less conventional path to say thanks. Might this approach fit your customer relations strategy?

The five consecutive top workplace awards provided the first clue. The first thirty seconds inside the carefully designed workspace off the beaten path in the City of Duluth, however, provided the confirming evidence. You can sense the culture of an organization when you enter its space. It’s in the air before the first employee greets you with eye contact and a smile. Walk a little further into the building and you’ll find that the most valuable square footage overlooking Lake Superior is not reserved for the Managing Partner of the firm and his leadership team – it is devoted to the rank and file and their customers. The first impression was only the beginning.

Try to make an apples-to-apples comparison between diverse teams across a spectrum of industries. Start with the common features that make organizations thrive. Rate each attribute on a scale from healthy to sick. So, what should you measure?

Although the 20% “actively disengaged” statistic may not apply to your workplace, chances are you have dysfunctional elements lurking on your team. Most organizations do. It is the nature of being human that negative attitudes, broken personalities, and poor coping skills creep from families into the job site. Usually, it’s subtle and insidious. Businesses are being robbed.

Someone said or did something that hurt your feelings. Should you say something? It’s easier not to. Your most trusted teammate wasn’t listening when you took the risk to expose your emotions. Do you let him know it made you feel like a low priority? It’s easier not to.

A meditative lifestyle practiced for centuries has suddenly become the hot mantra in workplace wellness. Mindfulness is the new remedy for chronic career stress. It’s simple – when the pressure of your job grows too intense, invite a deep breath to be the pathway to awareness of the sights, sounds, and smells of your surroundings. All is now well, right?

Breaking the spirit of a team is simple. Here are four easy steps to successfully halt the evolution of any team’s growth.

“But, he’s our top performer.” Many teams are graced by the dilemma of managing the coworker who leads the pack in business performance but poisons every human he touches on the way to his personal success. Leaders are beset with the fallout while the cash register keeps ringing. Mr. Toxic has become indispensable.

“I just received word that all of our 4000 employees received donuts this morning as part of our spirit week celebration,” announced the hospital H.R. Director with pride, speaking as part of an award-winning healthy workplace panel. The donut gift was part of an effort to improve workplace culture.

Often, the most powerful gift simply elevates the recipient. It’s given from behind the scenes without the need for gratitude. The sole purpose is an investment in the well-being of the partner. The knowledge of your impact on their health, energy, quality-of-life, efficiency, productivity and outlook consummates the exchange. More than just a random act of kindness, generosity is an investment.

Through their absence or presence, families coalesce during the holiday season. These annual gatherings are defined by who’s coming and who’s missing. Our clans provide the curriculum for Team 101.

I am often asked to assess the structure and dynamics of teams I’ve never before met. With no contextual information, I am forced to rely exclusively on the accuracy of the data that arises from the Team Clock team effectiveness survey. Once the analysis is complete, I am introduced to the team for the first time for a debrief session. Sometimes, it feels like running in the dark.