7 Essential Steps to Team Health
7 Essential Steps to Team Health
One of the many shifts that resulted from the pandemic was normalization of people seeking therapy. The sudden and awkward adjustments to daily life increased the number of people admitting their need for help, and sharing with others that they were doing it. Companies expanded their employee assistance program benefits to include better options for counseling services and more employees took advantage of this. Everyone became more attentive to the need for improving emotional health and interpersonal relationships, connecting with purpose, and learning to invest in their personal growth.
Just as people work on their individual emotional health, self-awareness and relationships with others, leaders are increasing the focus on team health. Team health includes ensuring cohesive relationships between the members of the team; talking not only about strategy and execution, but also about how those discussions take place, and paying attention to team strengths and developmental needs. (more…)
Hopefully we all know never to get in a cage with a lion, or to stroll through an African safari in a lion’s territory. But what happens when a lion finds us and sees us as prey?
I recently returned from a seven-day vacation cruising the Caribbean with 2200 of my closest friends (well four really). The entire ship was filled with opportunities to listen to smooth jazz music all day long and into the wee hours of the morning. There were multiple performers and musicians, many of whom were regulars on this annual (except for a 3-year COVID break) cruise. And while some guests like me were first timers, many had “frequent flyer” status with 10 to 20 jazz themed cruises under their belts. They knew what to expect and savored every moment of it. 
I recently facilitated an end of year meeting with one of my clients and allocated time for each person to share what they appreciated about every one of their colleagues. We were meeting virtually, and each person was invited to put their thoughts in a group chat, so that the recipient could go back to it later and reread it. As the facilitator, this was about them, not me, so I wasn’t even thinking about asking for their comments about me.
Does your team know your core values and personality style?
There’s an old parable about a man who planted seed.
Has it ever occurred to you that the quality of the answers you receive is dependent on the quality of the questions you ask? Consider these three conversations.
Have you ever started cutting up vegetables and finally realized that it was taking longer than expected? Maybe you’ve gone outside to trim your hedges only to find the job harder than you anticipated. Or in a burst of energy, you picked up your ax to chop wood, and were quickly out of breath as you realized how much effort was required.