Sometimes when a team is performing really well and hitting its goals and targets, it can get into “group think”, where everyone just agrees, even if it is lousy idea! So it is important to be able to challenge ideas in a high performing team.
At times, those who resist your ideas will undoubtedly outnumber your supporters at first, but persistence pays off. Begin by challenging “the way we’ve always done it.”
At the same time, you may find it uncomfortable to challenge those in authority, such as the boss. It’s a natural feeling. The trick is to challenge assumptions, not the individuals in positions of power. Focus on ideas, not personalities.
Push Back
Not all bosses want to be led. Some fear their authority will be undermined. Others are so insecure that leadership from below is a threat that must be stamped out at all cost.
These obstacles shouldn’t prevent you from trying to ‘lead or manage’ your boss, when appropriate. Observe the following guidelines:
• Stick with the facts. Build your arguments with evidence. Make sure your research is on point.
• Ask others to challenge your premise. Before presenting your ideas to your boss, find people who can play ‘devil’s advocate’ and explore your assumptions.
• Don’t confuse causation with correlation. Just because there’s a link between two issues doesn’t mean one provoked the other.
In some cases, all of the best data in the world won’t convince your boss that you’re right. If he/she is a ‘jerk’ or a ‘dickhead’, he/she’s probably insecure. He/She acts tough because he/she’s afraid of losing his/her job and control over others.
Dickhead bosses cannot be reasoned with, so don’t even try. You can roll over, fight back or leave. Choose wisely.
On the other hand, have you ever felt frustrated because other people are not working with you? The technical word for this is a lack of collaboration. (By the way a business colleague’s wife, a Latin scholar, suggests the word collaboration comes from the Latin "co" meaning "with" and "labor" meaning "to work").
This is an important issue because collaboration is fundamental to success in so many areas of life, especially business, small or large.
Collaboration is not just manager/s working with staff and staff working with each other, it's also small business owners working together to the benefit of the community.
In a fascinating study on this topic, four experts on collaboration - Mitch Ditkoff, Carolyn Allen, Tim Moore and Dave Pollard - asked 108 experienced collaborators to rate the importance of 39 criteria when selecting teammates to work with. Some of the criteria related to experience, knowledge and skills; some to personality characteristics; while others related to attitudes.
It turned out that three of the criteria were rated almost unanimously at the top of the list, and as indispensable. These were:
1. Showing enthusiasm for the subject of the collaboration.
2. Being curious and open-minded.
3. Being frank and honest.
The researchers concluded that great attitudes such as enthusiasm, open-mindedness and candor, seem to overcome a shortage of experience or skills in making a team work.
Bounce Back
Finally, what really matters is how we recover when things don’t go our way.
Resilience gives you the strength you need when faced with rejection.
Review:
• What happened?
• What could I have done better?
• What did I learn?
The resilience to bounce back from a raw deal distinguishes those who succeed from those who become stuck, bitter and angry.
Remain focused on goals and engaged in the process of fulfilling them.
