- Written by Roydon Gibbs
When I ask people in workshops to discuss that question and craft a simple answer, an interesting thing often happens.
Typically, people respond with comments like this: ‘We repair and maintain horizontal infrastructure.’ ‘We provide IT support for the company.’ ’We take care of the organisations accounts.’ ‘We deliver community-based health care.’ Maybe you came up with a similar response yourself.
Pause and think. Are you describing why your team exists? Or are you describing what your team does?
What your team does is important. For most of us our workdays are focused on what we need to do. We spend a lot of time being task-oriented. The risk is that we can begin to think that the tasks are the reason for our existence. When that happens work can become a drudgery—a monotonous repetition of going through the motions.
Our tasks are not the reason for our existence. They are a means to an end. We need to know why we are performing tasks. A sense of purpose helps to keep us all engaged and productive.
Define your team's purpose
Being able to describe the purpose of your work in everyday, real language is the key. Vague, grandiose statements like ‘We are here to be the best in our field and save the world’ are not going to be useful.
To be useful, the way you describe your purpose needs to:
Often the most useful ‘purpose statements’ are the ones that are naturally generated from within the team. Figuring out how to describe your team purpose can be fun. Start by regularly asking questions.
Challenge the answers you give by continuing to ask, ‘but why?’ or by adding the question ‘which means?’. Take notice of the phrases that feel natural and authentic. By making the discussion of purpose a part of everyday workplace conversation how you view your tasks will change.
Keep it real
Simple, honest and authentic statements of purpose work best. Here is an example that you might find amusing but makes the point.I was once exploring this topic of team purpose with a group of workers for a local government team. They were officially the team that looked after the pipes and drains. As we kept asking the ‘why’ and ‘which means’ questions the leader of the team eventually came out with this statement: ‘We are here to make sure that when everyone in this city gets home from work today, they will be able to flush their toilet’.
I’m sure you would agree that their team has a very important reason for existing.
Why does your team exist?
- Written by Roydon Gibbs
Have you ever seen someone deliver a persuasive business presentation, successfully manage a meeting full of strong opinions or calmly organise a team during a crisis and thought, ‘I wish I had their level of confidence’?
I read a business blog recently claiming that successful people never doubt themselves. The idea that absolute confidence is the key to success is very popular. But is that true? More importantly, is it useful to think that way—will it lead to success?
The facts would suggest otherwise.
The risk of being overconfident
Research clearly shows that in general we are bad at realistically evaluating our skills and abilities. Ask any group of people how good they are at driving a car and more than 80% of them will typically say they are above average. Add a bit of ‘motivational hype’ about ‘believing in yourself’ and you might even get them saying they are the best drivers that had ever been on the road. On average, we also over-estimate our influence, skills and popularity.
Thinking you are a great driver might make you feel good. But it does not mean you are a good or safe driver—it might mean you are a real menace on the roads.
Overconfidence and an unrealistic view of our abilities can make us blind to improvements we need to make. It can also make us blind to dangers we need to avoid. Studies have shown that people who overestimate their abilities are more likely to dismiss negative feedback and end up performing even worse than others with a more realistic view.
Sadly, there are more than a few examples of overconfidence leading to disaster. Rather than helping us to be successful, focusing on trying to feel and be confident can set us up for failure.
It’s not that confidence is a bad thing, but seeing confidence as the key to success is a problem.
A little self-doubt can be very useful
By contrast, if you lack confidence in your abilities you are more likely to put effort into working harder for what you want to achieve. Even a measure of anxiety will help you be more alert to danger so you can avoid it. With a realistic view of what we are capable of, we are more inclined to seek advice and listen to it. The result is increased improvement and long-term success.
Success does not begin with attaining an emotive feeling of confident self-belief. Genuinely successful people focus on developing realistic confidence or self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is a belief in our abilities, based on the development and demonstration of competence. As we develop and demonstrate competence, we receive feedback from others and gain our own insights, based on the results we produce. This then gives us the drive or confidence to continue developing and demonstrating our competence.Confidence is not a prerequisite for great performance. Confidence is a result of competence developed and demonstrated.
The next time you see someone deliver a persuasive business presentation, successfully manage a meeting full of strong opinions or calmly organise a team during a crisis, ask yourself, ‘What do I need to do to develop and demonstrate that level of competence?’
Christchurch
E-mail: info@skillset.co.nz