Feeling isolated is a fairly common emotional response for many leaders today. As the months keep dragging on during this unsettling time, many of us on teams are connecting more often about business and less on a personal level. Our virtual calls tend to focus on deadlines and data, leaving little time for just looping into each other’s lives. Although we may ask the question, “How are you doing today?”, we listen for a quick response and then push on to the work at hand.
What if instead of looking at our remote gatherings as merely work- related meetings, we decided to add a dimension of relationship building? That is exactly what I have been trying to do with a non-profit I am working with. At every one of our meetings, I pose a different question at the beginning that is thought provoking. The answers have provided amazing insights into what each team member is feeling as well as a deeper understanding of what makes each of us tick.
What is the power of getting to know your team members?
1. Builds Deeper Relationships and Community
Leading a virtual team can be very overwhelming when we are staring at boxes of faces on a screen. Even switching between a speaker or gallery view doesn’t help much to feel closer to everyone. One great way to learn more about our teammates is to ask interesting questions and listen carefully for their responses. Some possible questions could be:
- What is your favorite food for dinner?
- Where do you spend time when you want to escape your home office?
- What words might describe your state of mind?
- Which parts of your job bring you the most satisfaction?
2. Divulges Strengths and Blind Spots of Each Member
A great benefit of getting to know team members better is identifying their strengths and areas of expertise. One team I worked with had an individual who was a talented artist. When the rest of the team heard about their gift, they responded with excitement and how that individual could help with promoting a product. Alternatively, learning about teammates can also provide insights into people’s blind spots. This knowledge can ultimately lead to a better understanding of why someone may take longer to complete an aspect of an assignment.
3. Elevates The Flow of Work
When teams spend time getting to understand what areas each person excels at, there is no doubt that there will be more impactful results. Creating flow is an enormous plus for any team and really is quite easy to develop.
- Be clear on the goals and priorities.
- Assign work based on each member’s strengths and interests.
- Identify the roadblocks quickly and correct them.
- Schedule check-ins to make sure the flow is running smoothly.
4. Offers Opportunities For Innovation
Another powerful outcome of getting to know team members is being open to taking more risks and trying new things. When teams have a higher level of trust and are willing to listen to the ideas of others they will step outside of their comfort zones to dream more readily. Think about it. If a team member has insights or ideas that they think could create a better approach to a project they will speak up if they are comfortable with their teammates. In the end that will lead to greater innovation.
Getting to know team members and creating a safe environment to speak up will lead to greater innovation. Share on X5. Grows The Team
Ultimately the best way to build a culture of teamwork where each member feels valued is by getting to know one another. It is through our relationships that we feel more connected to the faces on the computer screens. Prioritizing people over projects is the secret sauce to growing a team. We grow our teams through:
- Listening actively to one another.
- Asking meaningful questions to make sure teammates are really ok.
- Responding to different perspectives with respect.
- Keeping an open heart and mind.
How has getting to know your team members helped during this challenging time?
Yes! When I led virtual teams and also participated in them, we did intentional team-building sessions that brought us closer and built connections more than our usual check-in at the start of a team meeting. Large parts of the workforce in most countries are working virtually and it’s a trend that will continue. Without making the effort to get to know and appreciate the people, beyond their employee functions, we also can never create the high-performing teams that we crave.
Will share. Great points!
Alli
I love how you state: “we also can never create the high-performing teams that we crave” if we don’t take the time to look beyond our work connections. Asking about each other’s lives and interests could help a team have a better understanding of the talents and gifts of each member. That recognition can build greater “flow” if teammates play to their strengths.
Thanks for your insights Alli!
Great advice, Terri! I worked on the board of two different non-profits. One started out with a thought-provoking question or thought that was not related to the work of the Board. People could choose to answer, or not, but the effect was striking…a real sense of camaraderie in the team that did choose to start off with something unrelated but thoughtful, and not so much with the other which dove right into business. Great points…
I love your story LaRae as it depicts the power of finding ways to build deeper connections with the teams with partner with. I believe that once leaders model a way to forge meaningful relationships, then others will follow. Then before you know it the “flow” of work increases as does the final deliverable.
Thanks for chiming in!
I like your recommendations Terri, but is it sustainable? With everyone so busy,
teams/zoom calls end up focusing on the deadlines and status. For introverts that’s
OK, but for all the rest of us, we are left adrift.
This new “everybody virtual” misses the point of face to face, watercooler type talk.
This is the only type of talk that gets somewhat past the façade of surface talk. I
don’t zoom all my staff every day just to say “good morning – how was your weekend”.
Things like that show staff that you actually care, and even know their name!
This new normal also requires a lot more effort to engage – I don’t know about you guys
but I’m already tapped out on the effort bank.
So we all settle into our lowest level of operations of “just the facts ma’am”.
Again – is it sustainable. Being in management for 26 years, I believe it won’t be. Sure we
will have those “introverts” that love being remote and tout that this is the new way.
Never having to be face to face is a total delight to them. But for the rest of us,
its not a fun time to be in management.
You bring up some interesting points Kelly. Many leaders are feeling zoom fatigue and rightfully so. I would just say that I do believe we will have a hybrid approach in the future in the ways teams will connect. I have tried to add some fun into the zoom meetings by asking questions that may initially spark laughter but actually help forge deeper connections with the team members. Maybe taking the burden off of you, you could ask the team members to come up with fun ways to get to know each other better.That may create more buy-in and connection.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. If you need some guidance, please let me know. I have helped many teams propel forward during challenging times. Terri