How To Connect With Your Team (It’s All About…)
I’d like to tell you something about myself that you might think is totally unimportant.
I drive a pickup truck.
I know, it’s not for everyone, but I like it.
Where I live, when I pass a car on the road, it’s just another car. But, when I pass a pickup truck, there’s a good chance we might wave at each other.
Why?
Because we’re both driving trucks, of course!
Now, if we happen to be driving the same model of truck, the chances of exchanging the dashboard wave just went up dramatically.
So what is this crazy pickup truck phenomenon?
Well, actually, it’s not about pickup trucks at all. It’s about something even more basic…
It’s about connection.
The Answer To How To Connect With Your Team
By nature, we enjoy connecting with people that have common interests. Paying attention to this is a simple, yet important fact can help you in your quest for improved leadership.
If you have great team members, they most likely enjoy being part of something larger than themselves. That’s a part of what makes them great team members.
But, great teams don’t just happen; their success is dependent on many factors. One of those factors is, how well do the members of the team connect and relate to each another?
Why is this important?
Because when team members connect, they’re much more likely to trust and depend on each other.
So what’s the secret to make this happen?
Well, I’m going tell you…. And be sure to write this down… ready?
The answer is leadership.
Practical Next Steps To Connecting With Your Team
As the leader, it’s your responsibility to foster this type of environment. That means you need to set the example of connecting with your team.
For some of you, this might feel awkward, but it’s really not that complicated.
It starts with simple conversation.
For example, you might strike up a conversation about an individual’s favorite food, where they were born and raised, or what hobbies they might have. If you do this enough, you’ll eventually find something that you both have in common.
This is the beginning of connecting with your team!
So, your practical next step is to make a list of 10 questions that you can routinely go to in casual conversation with your team members to learn more about them and begin the connection process.
But a word of caution…
If you’re the leader or manager that would rather sit in your office or cubicle and send emails to your team, so you don’t have to speak to them in person, you will be tempted to use this exercise as a way to manipulate others to get an end result. And, your people will eventually see through it.
So, for you, it may actually be a discipline at first to try to be genuinely interested in others. But, over time, you’ll find that you’ll build rapport and trust with your team, and they with you. And eventually, your team will treat each other the way you treat them.
Once your team members know how to treat each other, they’ll function better as a unit… and not only that, you will have learned a valuable team leadership lesson in the process that you can take with you anywhere.
Who knows, you might even find out that some people like to wave at other people who drive pickup trucks!
