I’ve had a moment running our small to midsize business where I have thrown my hands up and wondered why it is just so hard? In fact, I have had more than one ‘moment’.
I know that a key ingredient for a successful business is to have the right processes and systems, and to have the right people doing the right things. And while that sounds simple enough, I’ve found that it’s not.
I tend to spend more time on people than systems (I don’t know why, it’s just how I’m wired) and I’m constantly having to ‘mould’ people to ensure we have the best teams possible doing the best job possible. But recently, I’ve stopped and asked myself ‘what does the best team look like?’
We all know that great teams are essential for great business. Steve Jobs (Entrepreneur and Business Owner) said ‘great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people’. But what is a great team?
According to David Sturt and Todd Nordstrom (5 Must-have Attributes of Every Successful Team), great teams are made up of motivated people; people who feel connected to the clear vision and who work efficiently together. They are led by an inspiring leader and they communicate openly and honestly, and there is appreciation all round.
And while I certainly don’t challenge this, I just wonder how realistic it is to have all of this going on every day, every month, every year. Because for me personally, I have some good days and some monumental bad ones. There is no way I can be great all the time. Some days the idea of working (either in my role as a leader or as part of team) fills me with dread. Not because I don’t like my job, I do, in fact I love it. But because it’s life! There are just some days where I feel beaten, tired, negative, tired, frustrated and just so tired. And I’m not Robinson Crusoe, I’m sure the people in my teams have days like this too.
My focus has recently shifted from trying to have the ‘best teams’ to having ‘sustained teams’. Which really means having a team of great people who feel supported and cared for through all their highs and lows. Because we all have bad days where life overflows into work just like work overflows into life (actually work-life balance is a myth. We all just have one life). There are just too many factors outside of work and outside of any leaders’ control that influence how people feel and therefore how they communicate, how they perform and how effective they are.
A way to identify who is having a ‘bad day’ in order to help support them, is through the three-colour check in system.
1. Green
Green means you feel fabulous (insert jazz hands)
2. Yellow
Yellow means you feel ok, a bit flat maybe but totally fine to perform.
3. Red
Red means you feel really crap and you question why you are in the office in the first place.
Checking-in by way of a colour helps people share how they are feeling without having to go into the details. It also enables the ‘green’ people to help support the ‘red’ people. In fact, identifying a ‘red’ person on one of my teams meant that they could have the afternoon off. And identifying a ‘yellow’ person meant they could be swapped off reception (clearly the face of the business needs to be green) and into the back office for the day.
A colour check-in sometimes explains a dip in performance and can lead to honest conversations if a continued ‘yellow’ or ‘red’ is identified. And these deeper conversations are just so critical to not only sustain great teams but to ensure individual wellness.
Having a focus on creating sustainable teams (not just the best teams) has enabled us to openly have bad days and know that it is totally ok. And funnily enough, the colour check-in has led to much better communication, understanding and more cooperation which is key for any great team.
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