Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Chinese ears

The Chinese symbol for listening is pretty powerful. As shown in the picture, it is composed of several sub-symbols. Of course there is the symbol for the ears, which is what we associate with listening at the first level. But the real interest lies in the other symbols that complete the symbol that represents listening:

- mind (to think): what are you thinking about when you are listening ? Are your ears listening but is your mind wondering off, thinking about something completely different ? Are you thinking about what you can say next to show you know better ? Or are you really immersed in the story, its context and the different angles ?

- eyes (to see): what are you looking at when you are listening to someone ? Are you glancing at your cell phone for the latest email, or at the clock on the wall ? Or are you looking at the person in front of you, their body language, the way they look at you ? Looking people straight in the eyes ...
- undivided attention (to focus): do you focus completely on the person you are listening to ? To their words, their posture, the actual words they are using, the sentences that are being spoken ? Or are you preparing in your head that email you want to send, or the difficult meeting yesterday with your boss ?

- heart (to feel): are you feeling what the other person is feeling ? Do you "hear" what is not being said, or about maybe the underlying message that is being shared hesitantly ? Or are you filtering out that information that is not aligned with your views or values ?

Listening or hearing are words we use easily ... "Yes yes, I am listening ... I am hearing you". Yet to what extent do we use not only our ears, but also minds, eyes, heart and give the exchange our undivided focus ? Fully listening is not easy: it requires a bit of practice, but is very rewarding, not only for the listener, but even more so for the person who is sharing his story.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Is your team complete ?

You know a great team when you are part of one. You can feel it. And you also know when you are in a team where people prefer to be somewhere else. Managers who inherit a team often conclude, after a few months, that Mr X or Mrs Y would better be replaced. Sometimes it's not just one person, but a few, or even a handful. The temptation is great to think that, if only I could replace these people, then all the rest will be great, and my team will perform fabulously.

This judgment is often based on differences. Those who are direct, aggressive or pushy will likely appreciate those in the team who are similar. And they will think that those that are keeping to themselves or are more concerned about what others are thinking, are weak and unfit for a tough business environment.

Yet research has shown that the most effective teams are those with a balance of 'types' of team members. Just imagine a bunch of pushy and aggressive managers trying to work together ! You'd probably spend your time fighting fires and atoning conflicts. 

So where to start ? Belbin Team Roles is a simple tool that identifies team members' preferred roles, as well as those that are far out of their comfort zone. It does not pretend to figure out "who you are" but rather looks at what you do (behavior), and what others see you do at work. The profile is based on a combination of self-assessment and observer assessments. Since the observations are about behaviors (and not values, personalities, or motivations), they are 'safer' as a feedback approach.

There are a total of 9 Belbin Team Roles. None is better than another, and everybody embodies these 9 roles in a different way: some roles are the top preferred roles (strengths) and others are very much out of the comfort zone (weak team roles). Belbin Team Roles allows team members to have meaningful discussions about their own and others' profiles, and these dialogues go a long way in seeing the strengths of each member, however different they may seem.