Is Your Team Murmuring?
Is Your Team Murmuring?
This is not about team members complaining.
Instead…there’s an intriguing phenomenon among starlings, a small to medium sized bird with glossy black feathers streaked with green and purple. In fall or winter, just before sundown, tens of thousands, even up to a hundred thousand, gather and fly through the sky. And instead of flying straight in a flock like most other birds, they twist and turn continuously, moving band and forth, dancing in elaborate shapes, creating a beautiful and mesmerizing show in the air. This formation is called a “murmuration.” (more…)
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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.
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. 
There’s an old parable about a man who planted seed.
Pat arrived at the office early. She hadn’t slept well the night before because she was wrestling with an important decision that needed to be made in her Executive Committee meeting that morning. They had been evaluating the development and launch of a new product for the past six months. Today they needed to make a final decision on whether they were going to move forward. The discussions had been thorough yet difficult with wide ranging opinions on what they should do. There was significant risk associated with the launch, but the potential reward could be a greatly improved market share. As CEO, she needed everyone to make a full commitment to the decision, and while the objective analysis appeared to lead the team to adopt it, a number of other issues had arisen, and there was a LOT of debate. 
Leaders spend a great deal of time focusing on building strong teams, selecting the right people with critical skill sets, managing diversity of thought and matching complementary strengths. They structure their organizations based on the capabilities needed to accomplish organizational objectives and optimize opportunities to control as many variables as possible to ensure a cohesive team.
How well can you accomplish your goals by working alone?