Maybe I’ve been reading too many Pat Lencioni books lately but I’ve had my mind on team building. One aspect of team building that I really resonate with in his books is making decisions. As do many of his theories, it sounds simple. You make decisions. But it’s so difficult and I do believe it is a common cause of bad teams.
Sure every team does make decisions. I think that’s the deceptive part. You can make a lot of decisions every day, but not really be making decisions. I know that sounds a little confusing but making decisions is just a necessary part of living. We all decide things constantly throughout the day just to function. Things as simple as changing lanes in a car or deciding which seat to take on the train. On a more workplace level, everyone has decisions thrust upon them throughout the day. People make them because they have to make them to get by. What should we do about X urgent thing that got thrust upon us. How do I respond to Y’s question. But this is all being reactive. You have to react to the things that are presented throughout the day or you can’t function.
Being proactive requires a different form of decision making. Things like “where should I allocate my free time to be happy?” or “what is the most important thing our team could be doing to achieve it’s goal?”. Even more importantly “what is our most important goal?”. These are tough questions and they’re hard decisions to make. They require seeking out and they’re hard. But they’re essential. Without those decisions you don’t get fired. You don’t stop functioning. You get through your day. But you don’t win. You just play.
Tying back to team building, I think this is what leaders have to do. Without effective decision making and strong commitments to those decisions, teams lose clarity and strength. Yes, things will keep getting done. But they probably won’t be the things that elevate a team. Having a winning team means a team that knows where its going and why. There’s an elation that comes from being part of a team that’s in lockstep. That next level of team play is the root of great teams and great teams win. When important decisions don’t get made, the team stays as individuals. There may be some common goals and there will be a team but it won’t be one achieving at the highest levels and it certainly won’t be winning.