Semper Vita Institute

Use Strengths and MBTI for Teamwork

"We don't realize that culture is more important than vision." Phil Cooke

On his blog, Phil Cooke wrote about "The Secrets of Building Great Teams." Number 7 on his list is that culture is more important than vision. What does he mean? He writes,

I know plenty of powerful, visionary leaders who have created an oppressive, dark culture. Create a powerful, creative culture, and trust me, a vision will happen.

Jim Collins speaks about having the right people on the bus in the right seats before driving it anywhere! Phil Cooke and Jim Collins both agree that the people on the team and culture of the team affects everything from vision to productivity to success.

Invest in your team

Culture matters. Your team matters a great deal. Having the right people matters. Yet don't stop once you have the right people on your team. Invest in your team and make it the best it can be!

Great culture happens when team members respect and understand each other. One effective and practical way to accomplish a greater team IQ is by having everyone understand their own and each others' Strengths and MBTI.

Semper Vita Institute uses individual coaching combined with a team building workshop to raise team IQ and transform culture. Watching a team grow in unity and effectiveness is simply awesome.

Ready to improve your team's culture? Contact us at Semper Vita Institute.

Team Culture Impacts Teamwork

"Chemistry. You have to get people who will get along." Phil Cooke

Job satisfaction depends greatly on who you work with

People! Liking your job often relates to liking the people you work with. A 2010 survey sponsored by Randstad, a professional staffing and HR solutions provider, revealed that 67% of workers reported "having friends at work makes their job more fun and enjoyable." Additionally, "55 percent feel that these relationships make their job more worthwhile and satisfying." These friends can be colleagues, work friends and acquaintances.

Having friends at work becomes even more important in times when career growth opportunities may be limited and salary freezes the norm.

Surveys says:

According to the survey there are significant benefits to workplace friendships. Having friends at work:

• Creates a more supportive and friendly workplace: 70%
• Increases teamwork: 69%
• Increases workplace morale: 56%
• Increases knowledge sharing and open communication: 50%
• Higher job satisfaction: 45%
• Makes employees more motivated: 36%
• Reduces employee turnover: 36%
• Creates a stronger commitment to company/organization: 32%
• Increases employee engagement: 31%
• Increases productivity/performance: 30%

Create a great culture!

Understanding each other goes a long way to developing positive workplace relationships. Many companies and their employees have benefited from investing in team chemistry and culture. 

How is your company's culture? Do people work well together? Have you invested in creating the chemistry that helps people to get along?

The Rewards of StrengthsFinder at Work

I love StrengthsFinder. This tool facilitates the unleashing of individual and group potential. The 34 strengths can bring possibility and variety. In other cases, it explains the harmony and simplicity.

One of the rewards comes from realizing how the differences in the strengths can maximize the potential for your team or your company. What do I mean?

Well, imagine what would happen to your team if everyone understood what they do best. Take it one step further: Imagine if you or they could get paid for that. What if your reviews measured you based on what you’re gifted to do?

Example: Putting a Project Team Together

A team of five people gets a new project. There’s a lead (Dave), an assistant (Sherry) and three co-workers (Bill, Nancy and Alex). Normally, Dave plans and organizes, Sherry worries about all the details and the others divvy up the work evenly. The output is good, but not great.

Now bring in strengths. Dave is great at assembling the team, starting things and motivating folks, but he's not a planner nor is he strategic. Bill is very strategic and likes to think things through. Nancy loves gathering data, learning about what needs to be done and getting things done. Alex wants to understand the facts, test the information and be responsible for his part of the job. Sherry likes to ensure that standard operating procedures are followed and that people are cared for.

What if the project was organized according to their strengths? Dave would bring the team together and cast vision. Then he would ask Nancy to gather the necessary information and learn all there is to know. He would ask Bill to evaluate the alternative approaches and recommend the best approach. He would let Alex work with Nancy to gather the facts and then let him set up metrics for the project. Sherry would establish the group, project and team rules, and make sure everyone has what they need for optimal performance. 

This project would be off to a running start with everyone loving their part. What’s next for this team?