Optimize Team Performance & Collaboration
By: Steve Carples
Time and again, we read blogs and hear speakers who talk about the importance of alignment to optimize team performance and goal accomplishment. Without a doubt, taking the time to articulate the core purpose of an organization, as well as its vision, mission and core values; are critical keys to success. These provide both a driving beacon and guidelines for all involved to ensure that the organization “stays the course” and moves forward towards achieving its top objectives.
But alignment alone is not sufficient for optimizing team performance and collaboration. Erik Gabrielson, a partner in a sales training firm named Activ8 (see www.active8-u.com), recently highlighted a second element which I believe to be the true secret to heightened team effectiveness. This element is attunement.
At its core, attunement is about each individual within a team acting and reflecting upon his or her individual role. Being attuned means having an acute sense of self awareness. It requires an inward focus and concentration on finding and staying in touch with your own center. This may sound like a bunch of new-age hooey, but this is serious and real stuff that is not easy to do. Being centered allows individuals to achieve an ongoing harmony with the other members of their team and their surrounding environment. It also facilitates listening and helps each team member act with heightened responsiveness to changes and unknowns that seemingly arise around every corner.
The members of high functioning teams don’t just understand that attunement is important; they embrace it in such a way that it become part of their everyday actions. It becomes who they are and how they operate. And, it is this very characteristic which then allows them to perform at a high level as a group.
Yes, alignment is a necessary first step to set the course for all teams, but personal attunement is the secret ingredient in the recipe that ultimately drives success. Only when we truly understand who we are, what we can best do and what are our limitations, and pay attention in earnest to what’s transpiring around us – are we able to collaborate at our optimum level and help propel our team to greatness.
© 2016 by Steve Carples (Synergistics Consulting www.synconsult.com). All rights reserved.
