Teamership - Showing up as an Energiser
Great Teamership is energising - for us and others. Photo by Product School on Unsplash
When individuals bring their best and bring out the best in others, great things happen. It might sound trite, but I believe that it is at the heart of every great culture. I believe that to be true across business, sports, music and across places and times. Every great culture is built on being able to bring our best and bring out the best in others. Can you imagine a great culture where this wasn't the case?
Through that lens, it's possible to view great Teamership as a competitive advantage that has been developed and nurtured in our societies. It's completely feasible that it has become part of who we are when we are functioning well collectively.
At our best, we are all at our best.
For that reason, great teamership is energising. It is not only about doing great work, putting in great effort or tapping into individual brilliance and creativity. It's all of these things and it is taking actions that help to foster an environment where others can do the same. It is giving energy at the same time as it is tapping into energy.
Based on my understanding of physics, I don't think that one action can both create energy to be used at the same time as it uses energy. Thankfully, this isn't about physics, it's about human behaviour.
Great teamership taps into a source of energy that is deep within all of us. It taps into that well of intrinsic motivation that Self-Determination Theory has reliably shown us requires autonomy, relatedness and competence (not to be confused with Dan Pink's poetic interpretation of this when he wrote his book, Drive). We are the ones who choose what we focus on and whether we will put our best efforts in (autonomy). We make those contributions in relation to our team and purposes that extend beyond ourselves (relatedness). We make our best contributions when we can utilise and develop skills, capacity and strengths that match what is required of us in the team's context (competence).
Great teamership gives energy to others. As we contribute to our teams in a positive way, it makes it more likely - and easier - for others to do the same. This dimension of teamership does more than role model and demonstrate what high performance looks like in our teams. It encourages us to bring our best and rewards us for doing so. When our best efforts are seen and valued, it's a powerful motivator to continue being a great team member.
Bringing our best and bringing out the best in others is a way of working that generates value for individuals, teams and those who rely on them. Next week, I will explore what happens when the opposite occurs.
For this week, here are some questions to consider about showing up as an Energiser:
What are the tasks in your team that you would choose to do most readily?
How do you connect your performance to people and purposes beyond yourself?
When do you get the opportunity to utilise and develop your skills, capacity and strengths?
Is there something that you can do this week to help others in your team feel seen and valued?