Not every team enjoys the rare pleasure of moving from good to great and becoming a magnet for the world’s best talent. These lucky few organizations spend countless hours chipping away at the aspects of their organizations that threaten to erode employee and client satisfaction. They know the job is never complete and operate in a continuous improvement mode.
Most teams, on the other hand, go through more onerous cycles of loss and change. Workplace energy is depleted. Factions develop. There is disagreement on vision and goals. An undercurrent of disrespect undermines trust. Accountability slips. Teammates are afraid to serve up innovative ideas. Eventually, the landslide begins. Someone has had enough and abruptly departs. The bold move is contagious and everyone starts thinking about other career options.
Here lies the threshold of opportunity. While inertia and momentum virtually guarantee the team will enter a new cycle just like the old one, courageous leaders call “time-out” and rethink direction. The path is arduous but the steps are clear:
- Name the pain. Diagnose the symptoms and acknowledge the team’s sickness.
- Decide whether to stay stuck or move forward. Those who prefer to stay stuck should respectfully excuse themselves from the team.
- Garner consensus alignment with a refreshed statement of mission, values, and vision.
- Make an accountability pact where everyone agrees to assist each other in staying true to the desired future workplace norms.
- Use every interaction as an opportunity to strengthen the culture moving forward. Missed opportunities, by default, weaken the team.
Like most change, the situation needs to become intolerable before it is painful enough to spark transformation. Until that moment, it’s easier to normalize the discomfort and find a sympathetic ear to complain. Commiserating generates energy, albeit negative. Once the team is finished trumpeting to the world how awful the situation has become, healthy actions can begin.
