We’ve had “the crud” running through our family for the last three weeks. We keep sharing germs back and forth so we’ve had a few relapses along the way. When the sick take care of the sick, it takes a while for everyone to get healthy again!
It’s interesting how differently we respond to the same circumstance. Even though we are all exhibiting similar symptoms, our individual personalities and tolerance levels are driving our behavior. Just among our little family, we have the dramatic, the stoic, the carefree and the caregiver.
It’s no different with a work team.
Each person on your team may react differently to recognitions, stress, change or coaching.
- Public praise that inspires one person may completely embarrass another.
- The stress that pushes one person to the brink may invigorate another to new heights.
- The new procedure that is a positive difference-maker to one person may completely overwhelm another.
- The coaching that moves one person back to the right path may cause another to be resentful of leadership or company policies.
How healthy is your team? What symptoms or behaviors do you see from each individual and what do they mean for that person? How do your team members respond to praise, stress, change and coaching? How can you adjust your interactions with them accordingly?
Being fully present to the uniqueness of each person on your team, and responding in kind, will help the whole team be healthy. And a healthy team will be a well-functioning team. And a well-functioning team can achieve great things.
