This is a guest post by Marc Siles, He is an Executive MBA from IESE Business School who leads the INNEOX team from his base in Finland! Over to Marc...
The 7 Golden Behaviors – The secret to create a true “Dream Team”
Here is what I would like you to do. Think about a moment in your life when you have been told what to do. It could be by your parents, friends, boss, or by anybody who was trying to impose their will…or at least it felt like that. Can you recall that little voice inside your head, after you were told what to do, asking to yourself “Why should I?”
This is a situation I have observed in many occasions when seeing companies, sports teams and other institutions trying to build the ever-wanted “Dream Team.” We are told on many occasions we must work as team. However, it seems that we keep forgetting about integrating this information in our habits in order to become a team, isn’t that interesting? They keep telling us what we must do, but not why we should do it…more importantly, for what purpose?
A high paying salary might help you get best talents you can find in the market, however, do you want people to work for you, or with you? Would you prefer people who share your passion, or those whom are just after fame and economical rewards? When you are recruiting people for your “Dream Team,” is it not the past history that matters, or is it their individual achievements? What matters the most is their attitude, their habits, their ability to let go and to adapt to the uncertain future, and that they continuously evolve. Should it be you as a leader who owns the task of creating this desired team spirit, or should it be the team itself who creates and owns its development? I believe that as a leader, you should drive the future vision and create a common ambition. It’s then that people will join you, not because they have to, but because the want to. They will then share the same views and values which you preach and practice. It’s then when they will own their evolution.
I’ve noticed a certain pattern, which keeps repeating in all long term successful “Dream Teams” I have been observing during the last years. I call it “The 7 Golden Behaviors.” I am not going to ask you to reflect while you are reading the rest of this article about how you could identify those in your team, but I would like you to keep an open mind next time you are developing or recruiting a new person for your team. Is it the past, or the future attitude that really matters?
The 7 Golden Behaviors
#1 – Sense of Curiosity: The need for continuous proactive interest of the unknown will keep those interesting questions flowing. It is from here, where all the true insights come from. Those who dare to open new doors and explore what new paths might bring to them, will not only add improvements to their daily business, but will also contribute to seeing clarity to the future ahead. Would you like to be part of this selective club?
#2 – Genuine Interest: Truly caring for somebody without expecting anything in return. Being owed favors is just another way to put heavy weights on those around us. Active listening is a key skill your team members must have in order to develop the common spirit. Would you like to improve your active listening skills? You can find some very good tips in this post by “Mind Tools.”
#3 – Behavioral Flexibility: Even if we have a very detailed plan, we have to be able to adapt to the situations the future scenarios might bring. The ability to adapt on the go and readjust will become extremely relevant after the team is finished with the deploying phase. This is why you want to identify this behavioral trait correctly in the beginning, as this will forecast the probability the team will have to hold together as the journey moves ahead. People who look behind in search of new learning, but concentrate on the opportunities the future will bring…people who can let things go and evolve with the needs of the new times. This is what you are looking for to create your “Dream Team.”
#4 – Self-Awareness. In a Dalai Lama speech I assisted some years ago, he compared this to the situation in a plane. If suddenly the masks drop and you try to help others before you have your own mask on, you won’t be able to help many before you pass out. However, if you have your oxygen supply in place, there’s no limit on your capabilities of helping others. There are many ways to get a deep level of knowledge on ones self, however, I would recommend the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. From all the methods I have tested, this test provided the best results. There is a wealth of free information on the internet, so I encourage you to take some of these free tests online, and do some research on your MBTI profile.
#5- Empathy: Have you ever been in a conversation with a friend where you noticed that the she or he didn’t really care about what you were explaining? A “Dream Team” must have the ability to engage in an emotional level with each other, share their joys and pick each other up when times are not so good. Everybody is responsible for his or her own challenges, however a good “hug for support” now and then gives the extra bit of energy we all need.
#6- Awareness, Adoption & Evolution: I’m sure that some of you are aware of a habit you have, which might not be beneficial to your health. However, being aware doesn’t add much value if this piece of information doesn’t evolve into wisdom, integrated in our future behavior in order to generate change. The capabilities to create evolving wisdom will unleash the growth potential of each of the team individuals, creating a sense of self-steam and self-confidence, unbeatable by any situation or challenge. If you would like to do some work on the integration of unconscious wisdom and evolution, you can read this post published on Linkedin.
#7- Mindfulness: The last and most important golden behavior is the art of creating interdependencies, as well as being aware of how your actions impact others around you. First, understand yourself, then, understand others before you are understood. This habit will create the needed flow of respect and communication within the team to be able to take the results to the next level via ambitious goals. These ambitious goals are unreachable without the collaboration with each other and always being aligned towards a common vision.
You have 100Km run ahead of you. However, instead of running 100Km once, focus on running 1Km 100 times, and enjoy every single step. Success is a journey to enjoy, not a destination.
New Possibilities Ahead
A team, which displays these 7 Golden Behaviors, will be ready to achieve anything they set for themselves. As a fellow Toastmaster once told me, “The sky is not the limit, there are men stepping on the moon.”
I will leave it up to you to decide if you want to start integrating this knowledge and let it roll into wisdom the right way, or, if you would prefer to let the unconscious do its work and work it out later on. I just find it amazing to have people working around you because they feel energized with you. Fighting hard for the common vision and goal, not because they have to, but because they want to. Isn’t that amazing?
Have you observed any of those Golden Behaviors around you lately? If so, it would be great to hear about those and read your comments. When was the last time you observed some of the Golden Behaviors? Which one was it and how did it relate to the future success?
This is a guest post by Marc Siles.
Marc Siles Aligué is a self declared “Innovation Liberator”. He is Managing Director Finland at INNEOX and a regular speaker at conferences on the topic of Customer Experience Management. You should follow him on twitter: Marc Siles