What difference would 1% make?

Individuals who are better team members have a ripple effect that compounds over time. Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

One of the best aspects of increasing Teamership across an organisation is that it doesn’t require radical and sudden shifts in behaviour. Instead, it’s about consistently increasing the likelihood of individuals being able to bring their best and bringing out the best in others.

What would happen if every person in your organisation was 1% better at being a team member? I suspect that they would be better able to articulate for themselves and others:

• The teams that they were a part of (and not just the ones on the organisational chart)

• What is expected in each team that they were a part of

• What they need (from themselves and others) in order to bring their best individual contribution to the team

• The areas that they want to get better at individually

They would increasingly demonstrate behaviours that:

• Improve their personal contributions to their teams

• Encourage others to make better contributions

• Promote learning in and about teams

In turn, all of this makes it easier for others to become better team members. As people role model what it means to be a great team member, they create conditions where others are more likely to bring their best efforts. If others turn up as better team members, it increases that the chance that we will.

Individuals who are better team members have a ripple effect that compounds over time. One of the beauties of working at the level of individuals and focusing on their ability to contribute to a team is that this knowledge and experience travels with that person across the teams that they are a part of.

Teamership has a positive impact on an organisation’s culture that is tangible. Individuals are able to make decisions and take actions that strengthen a culture.

Some questions for you to consider this week:

1. What would happen if everyone on all your teams was slightly better at being a team member?

2. How can you be a slightly better team member this week?