The team is the most important element of a successful business or organization. It is the team that makes the product and services excellent. It is the team that impresses the customers. It is the team that drives your business to achieve what you couldn’t do by yourself. These are lessons I’ve learned since my first days of managing teams; from the small team at a simple concession stand to the large team of highly-skilled professionals on a complicated system implementation project, I have learned that “peoples is peoples.” When you help them operate as a top functioning team, magic happens!
It’s easy to hire people who are most like us because we know what to expect of them. But seriously, isn’t hiring someone just like you a little redundant? To build a really powerful team, I encourage managers to focus on the skills, experiences, styles and gifts they may not have themselves. And then work to appreciate and optimize the diverse and talented group they form.
As a project manager, it was my role to define the scope, timeline, resources and goals for any project. But I relied on my team to work together to determine how we would achieve the project goals. I’ve been successful with always bringing my team together at the beginning of the project when I would lead a candid conversation on work and communication styles, personal and team values, and team mission. Whenever we brought on a new member, these definitions were so important to the team that the team members gladly communicated them to the new member. With a team bound by a clear definition and a well-defined project, magic happened.
A tool that I have utilized frequently with my own teams, as well as in mentoring and advising other managers, is the DISC assessment. I have seen this tool turn around a low functioning team, and even take a highly functioning team to new levels of excellence. Let me explain.
DISC is a behavioral assessment tool first developed by psychologist William Moultan Marston, (he was also a comic book writer who created Wonder Woman). Marston was interested in finding a practical explanation to help people understand and manage their experiences and relationships. What has evolved is an instrument that helps you see yourself as others see you, and it provides the framework to take this self-awareness into a personal and professional development strategy so you can meet the demands of your daily life.
The DISC assessment measures four dimensions: 1) how you respond to problems and challenges; 2) how you influence others to your point of view; 3) how you respond to the pace of the environment; and 4) how you respond to rules and procedures set by others. Every one of us has all four of these dimensions, simply at different levels. The unique combination of our dimensions defines our communication do’s and don’ts, our ideal work environment, how we like to be managed and what motivates us.
So, what does that really mean to you as a manager? How helpful would it be to know that one of your team members wants to chat about her weekend, but another wants to get down to business? Or might it be helpful to know that some members of your team really need you to set some kind of direction and make quick decisions? And what difference might it make if you know that the person you are asking to do a task, while you are rushing by on a way to a meeting, gets very stressed out when not given the chance to ask questions? And how might you respond if you knew that some on your team might not respond well to ambiguity?
Naturally, the DISC – as well as Myers Briggs, Gallup’s Strengths Finder and other behavioral assessments – can provide a wealth of information, and, of course, it is what you do with this information that really matters. When using DISC, or any other instrument, be sure to use it as a tool to begin and guide conversations. Start by asking, “What do I need to do to help you be more successful?” “What are the things am I doing that work or don’t work for you?” And then make an opportunity to have a facilitated conversation so that your team can share this information constructively.
At NACET, we’re always happy to meet with you and discuss using DISC or other tools that help you focus on your team, the most important element of your business and your success. Come by to talk, and let the magic begin. FBN
Trish Rensink is the NACET incubator director of programs and operations.
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