High-Value Team Habits

This week is all about building stronger relationships at the workplace. I’m excited to share some high-value team-building habits to help you create a thriving culture amongst your colleagues.

High-Value Team Building Habits

Some simple high-value habits should be automatic for you but do not assume that you nor your people have them locked into the brain.

A great start is to always look for opportunities to show your gratitude. Expressing appreciation is a powerful ingredient for building connection and sustainability. It makes you look for what’s good. It takes little time, but it will often be an act of your will. Try to thank people twice as much as you already do.

Regardless of your feelings, you can make gratitude and appreciation an automatic tool in your tool kit. It may be contagious!

Now go back and review what habits are expected, and don’t assume that you already do them regularly. What are the critical habits for a thriving culture? Name some.

• Everyone acknowledges each other when they meet and when they depart. It’s common courtesy to say hello and goodbye. Try to practice this in your home life.

• Compliment your colleagues in front of other people. Catch people doing something right. Encourage effort and give praise whenever possible.
• Give feedbackwhich is both encouraging and corrective. You have to care a lot to tell people the truth. Honest feedback is a gift if given with a soft voice and an attitude of caring.
• Invest time one-on-onewith the people in your team. You never build a team as a group. You need a relationship with each individual.
• Go out of your way to be generous. This might mean buying someone a coffee, a sweet treat, or something small they enjoy, like a packet of chips. It’s the thought that counts!

Habits Build or Repel Relationships

We all need some skills in life if we want to find favour with people (whether at work or home). How aware are you of your skills to connect with others?

Relationship Repelling Habits

First, let’s consider five ways to put people offside. Avoid these to avoid making a poor first impression or disconnecting.

• No eye contact, no smile, no acknowledgement of their presence.
• No questions or friendly conversations.
• Commands and demands rather than requests.
• No small talk to show you are friendly.
• Speaking with a grumpy, aggravated tone.

These habits are easy to do or overlook, but they do not build relationships, respect, or high performance.

Relationship Building Habits Some habits help us to flourish. These are the ones to practice. They may not be automatic for you because they have not become a habit in your world, but they are highly effective when building relationships of trust. Just the word relationship indicates that we need to find ways to connect and share something in common.

A relationship begins with a warm greeting, remembering their name and showing interest by asking questions.

• Identify and memorise a list of good questions to ask people. This way, you engage with others about topics that interest you.
• Use good eye contact and affirming words or sounds when the other speaks. E.g. A-ha, oh yes!

These habits may sound basic, but that does not mean you’re nailing them every day.

Review your behaviours and those of your team regularly to reinforce high-value habits and reject detracting behaviour.

Next week we will discuss the practicalities of using feedback to improve as a team.

Lisa xx

Quotes About Habits

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
— Will Durant, based on Aristotle’s teachings

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” — John C. Maxwell

“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all-time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” — Vince Lombardi

“Habits, scientists say, emerge because the brain constantly looks for ways to save effort.” — Charles Duhigg