Shared Results
Are your team’s shared results not seen as important?
You
It might be worthwhile to take a closer look at ways to increase your passion for the Shared results of your team, as this can improve your engagement as well as your satisfaction in your work.
Below are a few key questions you can ask yourself paired with a few ideas for possible actions:
Have you lost sight of what your team is striving to achieve?
Are you well aware what your team is striving to achieve – you just do not find it important?
Your team
If the team members only focus on day-to-day tasks and their basic interactions, this will gradually take over all attention – and the shared passion can easily evaporate.
Another point is that the focus on shared results should develop naturally for most teams over time as demands to the team change, and as new opportunities open up.
Therefore, having frequent talks about “Purpose”, “Shared results” and “Shared Intent” (or what you choose to call it) should appear regularly on any teams meeting agenda.
If you are lacking a format for talking about Shared results consider using this:
“What are we trying to achieve and why?”
Define how success on Shared results looks (the more specific and actionable, the better):
How is the tasks and responsibilities of each team member/role in the team contributing to the different elements of Shared Purpose?
Once you have a clear and operational definition of your Shared Purpose, good points for recurring ‘maintenance discussions’ on how we measure Share results in the team are:
As you agree on keeping or changing your definition of Shared results, end by concluding what will be done differently as a consequence of the discussion and/or the changes (be specific about who and what):
Do individual interests overshadow Shared results?
You
It is a delicate challenge to balance individual interests with the team’s striving for Shared results. Both needs to be in place, but if the individual parts plays too big a role, the team will suffer.
One of the key characteristics of high performing teams is that the wellbeing of the team always has first priority. Period.
If you are even in doubt where your loyalties lie, this is most likely a challenge. But the solution is not downplaying your individual interests, it’s almost always about strengthening the power of Shared results.
Maybe have a look at the challenge “Are your team’s shared results not seen as important?” and see which ideas this will bring. Odds are, that if your team become sharper at focusing on Shared results – it will be much easier to nurture your individual interests – without ever overshadowing or compromising the Shared results.
Your team
If it’s a general challenge for your team that personal interests overshadows Shared results it is most likely a symptom of another challenge.
Start by having a look at the challenge “Are your team’s shared results not seen as important?” and see if any of the concepts here inspire to any action.
If that does not fully address the challenges you experience, have a look at some of the more fundamental drivers of team performance:
Have KPI’s, Incentives & Bonus schemes grown out of sync with Shared results?
You
It’s a big source of frustration if you are caught in the crossfire between “what’s the right thing to do” and what you are “rewarded to do”.
If you do what’s right you are punished. And if you do what’s rewarded, your sense of purpose is compromised, and your engagement will suffer. You lose both ways.
When KPI’s, Incentives & Bonus schemes grow out of sync with what needs to get done, it should be addressed early on. Even if you risk losing a small bonus, or if the current KPI’s make your results look more flattering that they should, it’s worth bringing up the challenge.
If you do it right, most leaders and most organizations will reward the honesty.
If the challenge you have found is a general issue, consider teaming up with one or two peers, build the case for a change, and bring it forward as a team.
If it’s only related to you personally, you should probably bring it up with your direct leader.
A format for addressing such a challenge is:
Your team
Re-visiting the success criteria, KPI’s, incentives and bonus schemes from time to time is a maintenance task for a team – especially if challenges and opportunities are changing.
The foundation for a service check is what’s important for your team, e.g. as expressed in the definition of Shared results in your team (for inspiration see: “What are we trying to achieve and why”).
Based on this, consider the following questions:
When you have assessed your success criteria, make the needed adjustments and implement the revised scheme.
Revisit the scheme from time to time to ensure that you stay in sync with the Shared results culture.
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