Mr. Morgan buys his partners.  I grow my own.  Andrew Carnegie

Last week I met a few people who were feeling their way as new team members. Team, Teaming and Teammate takes practice because we all want to do a good job.

Office teams have their own dynamic. Why is your team united?   Setting boundaries allows everyone to understand and accept what the expectations are, both for the team and each member.  Team leadership, of course, provides both leadership and service to the team, i.e., what can I do to help you succeed in your role?  What do you want from me in terms of leadership?

It’s helpful to remember that it’s important to “disagree without being disagreeable.”  In other words, feedback should remain on the business issue and not the person speaking.  Consider asking:  What do you mean by that?   Why should the team change its focus now?    How will your suggestion affect the workflow we have right now?   What is the foundation for your present thinking?

Team, Teaming, Teammate is a process where we learn about ourselves and how we act with others.  So Choose Who You Want to be Known As.  Have a great Summer when it begins later this week!

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coach and Change Agent

Note:  The quotation, “Disagree without being disagreeable” is attributed to Retired General MacKenzie.