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Bringing Humanity into the Workplace Human beings, collaborating with human beings, to serve human beings Here are some of my favorite and most human quotes from Lencioni. Source: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass 2002), with some editing and comments. Teamwork: A team is not a collection of individuals. You can’t get great team results if you only coach the individuals on the team about their individual performance. In sports, regular teams usually beat all-start teams: playing as a team allows them to beat more talented players (p. 83). Lencioni’s model starts with trust: “Trust is the confidence among team members that their peers’ intentions are good, and that there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group... It requires team members to make themselves vulnerable to one another [open, honest, candid, not guarded or defensive], and be confident that their respective vulnerabilities will not be used against them” (195-196). Leaders need to foster constructive ideological conflict (productive debate on the ideas) and protect their team from harm, personal attacks, bullying…and other toxic behavior (cf. 206). The goal is to leverage the combined wisdom of the team in driving for the best solutions, maintaining focus on a clearly defined result, and rewarding those actions and behaviors that contribute to key results (cf. 218). Culture: Never take advantage of someone’s candor, vulnerability, or weakness—support your team. If you allow personal attacks or manipulation, people will remain guarded and you will not get their best—you won’t benefit from the collective talents on your team. A culture which allows people to take advantage of other people’s weaknesses makes it impossible for people to be vulnerable, to trust, and to engage in constructive conflict/debate. It is crucial that team members are confident that their respective vulnerabilities will not be used against them—vulnerabilities such as weaknesses, shortcomings, mistakes, and requests for help (196). With respect to the senior team: “All of you, every one of you, are responsible for sales. Not just JR. All of you are responsible for marketing. Not just Mikey. All of you are responsible for product development, customer service, and finance. Does that make sense?” (83) And your primary loyalty is to this team (the senior team) and the overarching strategic goal we are working on (137). Speak authentically with honestly and candor—not politically: “Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think” (p. 88). “When people don’t unload their opinions and feel like they’ve been listened to, they won’t really get on board” (94).

Hypocrisy can have several negative effects on organizations. It can lead to employee silence, trust erosion, decreased motivation, impaired consensus building, and reduced morale and productivity. To combat this issue, it's crucial to address and mitigate hypocrisy in the workplace. Open communication, transparency, and aligning actions with stated values can help reduce the negative impact of hypocrisy on team dynamics. Here are some strategies that can be effective in combating hypocrisy at different levels: - At the organizational level, establish clear values, align policies with values, and promote transparency. - At the leadership level, lead by example, implement accountability systems, and ensure consistent actions and words. - At the individual level, empower employees, provide education and training on ethical behavior and integrity, and encourage whistleblowing in a safe environment. Don't let hypocrisy damage your team's effectiveness. Take action to create a collaborative and positive work culture where integrity is valued.

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺: When talking about building teams, we point out a lot of KPI’s (𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘵𝘤. 𝘦𝘵𝘤.). But have we discovered that all the KPI are mostly directed towards measuring performance of a team, there is negligible to no metrics to measure a team’s trustworthiness. I came across an interesting read from Simon Sinek’s Performance Vs Trust Matrix. It says in the long run it is better to have a person in your team with average performance but high trust rather than someone with high performance but low trust. Something which is sustainable in the long run, but organizations tend to promote the one with high performance because KPI’s are designed that way. We say trust is a key element that underpins success at work but never measure it. So can we design KPI to measure trustworthiness. Here are my two cents: 1. 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 – a forum for dialogue, where employee can share thoughts candidly. 2. 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 – Instead of third party giving a badge of “Great Place to Work”, let the employee be the assessor and award its organization the award for being a great place to work 3. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘅 - which measures the degrees of trust among employees by measuring a few dimensions such as transparency, reliability and willingness to support each other. Can organizations leverage on these KPI’s to become an Organization of Choice. Guess it’s not so tough to implement. Setting up a culture is the key.

Agility and effectiveness in decision making is essential for organisations operating in a fast moving, complex, ever changing environment. We are all seeing the impacts of slow or ineffective decision making which results in poor profitability in the private sector and reputations damage in the public and voluntary sectors. So how do you make effective decisions quickly? Read on to see our latest insights. If you’d like to know more about what we do, then feel free to message me here or via email at ken.mcintosh@matthewsyed.co.uk

🌟𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲? 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐈𝐭?🌟 Achieving team success is a blend of many elements: strong leadership, effective communication, the right resources, diversity of skills and perspectives, and so on. But here’s the thing—𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 (𝐏𝐒) is the foundation that makes these elements work in harmony. PS is when team members feel safe sharing ideas, questions, and even mistakes without fear of criticism or rejection. According to Google’s Project Aristotle study, psychological safety is the most important factor in team success! ❓ 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐄𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 Nonprofits often utilize cross-functional teams (CFTs) to be more agile and efficiently achieve organizational goals, team members often come from different departments and bring unique expertise. These teams integrate diverse opinions and perspectives to solve complex social issues. However, it’s not easy—differences in priorities, agendas, and approaches can make collaboration challenging. But avoiding conflict isn’t the answer! Instead, creating a safe space for team members to talk openly is what truly unlocks the power of this diversity. When team members feel psychologically safe, they can communicate freely, maximizing their collective knowledge and impact. 🔍 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲  In this report, I dive deep into the experience of 15 employees from eight different departments in a nonprofit, examining their challenges in cross-functional collaboration and what made them feel safe to speak up. From task clarity to team connection, the findings reveal enablers of PS in three levels: organization, team, and individual.   📖 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬?  Want to know more about how to build a safer, more collaborative team environment? Dive into the full report and make an impact on teams! 

In the high-pressure environment of professional service organizations where fractional work is the norm, the virtues of acceptance & forgiveness may seem like lofty, even impractical, ideals. However, these values are the backbone of strong teams and healthy work cultures. A professional services firm is a tapestry woven together through countless interactions, decisions, and—inevitably—mistakes. To foster an environment where innovation thrives and employees feel valued, we must learn to stop, listen, clarify, and understand. Acceptance goes hand-in-hand with forgiveness. When we truly accept that our colleagues are doing their best within the scope of their abilities and circumstances, we lay a foundation for empathy. Acceptance does not imply complacence or a lack of accountability but rather an understanding that learning curves are not a sign of incompetence but of growth. Within our organization, we strive to pause, to engage in meaningful conversations that help us understand individual perspectives. This is not always an easy task in a fast-paced environment, but it is critical. Forgiveness in a workplace might manifest itself in various ways. It can be a manager who chooses to see a missed deadline as an opportunity for team growth rather than a point of contention. Or it could be a client account specialist who forgives the misdirected frustrations of a stressed client, remembering that everyone has less-than-ideal days. These moments channel the energy typically reserved for blame into more productive avenues like education and process improvement. Actioning on the key message to "stop to listen, clarify and understand" doesn't only repair relationships but builds stronger ones. By actively practicing forgiveness and acceptance, the organization is not just a collective of individuals clocking in and out; it becomes a community. Listening breeds understanding, clarification fosters learning, and understanding paves the way for trust. Trust, above all, is the currency of excellence in professional services, granting us the grace to move forward, learn from our past, and build towards a future that is inclusive and dynamic.

This is powerful. The only thing I would add is making the choice to see positive intent. It is easy to assume somebody meant something negative in their actions or words. It is easy to assume you know someone’s motives, even though you don’t. It is growth to assume positive intent and to not assign motives that you think are there.

There is a staggering contrast between individual and organisation decision-making. While 86% of people feel empowered to make decisions in their role, 70% say there is a safety in numbers approach to decision-making within their organisation. This suggests that when people face decisions beyond their immediate role and remit, the comfort level drops. This may be due to complexity, an unclear decision-making process, or an increase in the number of stakeholders. It may also reflect lower psychological safety in what could be higher risk scenarios. Complex decision-making benefits from harnessing collective intelligence - leveraging different perspectives to avoid blind spots, covering more of the problem space, and resulting in as much as a 60% improvement in outcomes.** A safety in numbers approach is not the same thing. It requires a degree of consensus, which can delay decision-making, even more so when a situation changes or new information comes to light. Critically, this approach does not necessarily deliver better outcomes. To maintain agility and innovation, it is vital for organisations to translate the individual speed and proficiency of decision-making into an organisational skill through: - enabling and supporting people to take bigger decisions and calculated risks, for example by leveraging diversity of thought and/or building greater psychological safety to help achieve better outcomes and increase confidence. - making cross-functional decisions in a timely and accountable manner - using targeted sessions to boost collaboration and trust between different teams, for example, and ensuring clarity of decision-making roles and responsibilities. It’s important also to help people realise that they are the ‘organisation’ too, each playing a role in creating the culture and behaviours around them. How are you helping people act and react to increasing complexity? Find out more about how we can help build psychological safety, harness collective intelligence, increase collaboration and more, on our website https://lnkd.in/eAC9EZh7 * Data based on responses gathered through the growth mindset psychometric, Mindset Advantage, from thousands of leaders and hundreds of organisations globally over a period of 7 years. ** Cloverpop (2017). Hacking Diversity With Inclusive Decision-Making #agility #psychologicalsafety #innovation #collaboration #peformance #culture

Ever wondered how to turn workplace grumbles into growth opportunities? 🤔In this post, I dive into a powerful ORSC tool that transforms team grievances into catalysts for innovation and stronger connections. https://lnkd.in/gM4udHzR #TeamDevelopment #WorkplaceCulture #LeadershipInsights #ORSC

Are you part of a "polite" culture that prevents team members from being fully honest with each other? Does this affect trust and productivity? This tool, based on a 15-year study, helps you assess your team's honesty level, identify areas of risk, and start addressing trust issues. As with any part of our lives, improvement is possible with effort, and acknowledging current challenges is the first step. https://lnkd.in/eCqwx66v