why teams aren't teamish (and what you can do about it)

WHY TEAMS AREN’T “TEAMISH”

And What You Can Do about It

© 2012 Maverick Learning Designs

About this Booklet• Although I present this in the form of a PowerPoint

presentation, this is really a booklet to be read and not something to be projected on a wall in a group setting.


right

wrong



• If you’d like others to read this, please send them a link via Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, rather than distribute hard copies. I’m told that this will increase my ranking on Google and thus my chances of becoming rich and famous one day.




• If you’d like others to read this, please send them a link via Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, rather than distribute hard copies. I’m told that this will increase my ranking on Google and thus my chances of becoming rich and famous one day.

• If you’d like to have a version of this booklet suitable to a group setting, or a cooler, more interactive version suitable for online self-study, just ask; you’ll find my contact info on the final slide.


Homage to Peter Block• The basic thrust of this article was inspired by Peter

Block’s great book, Flawless Consulting. Read it, especially if you are an internal consultant.


Homage to Casey Stengel• According to Casey Stengel, Hall of Fame manager of the

Yankees and the Mets…• “Getting great players is the easy part; the hard part is

getting ‘em to play together.”


Your Objective• You will find this short read very helpful if your objective is

to…• Increase the ratio of “teamish” behavior to selfish

behavior among the members of your team.


Teamish is…• What are the behaviors you’d see if teamwork among

members of your team was extraordinarily good?• Come up with at least a few answers before advancing

to the next slide.


Teamish is…• Here are some words and phrases often used to describe

teamish behaviors:• Pitches in without being asked.• Shares information and resources.• Asks others: “How can I help?”• Asks others: “How are things going for you?”• Recognizes the efforts and accomplishments of others.• Seeks the opinions and insights of others.• Expresses concerns openly.• Seeks first to understand, then to be understood.


Selfish is…• What are the behaviors you’d see if teamwork among

members of your team was extraordinarily bad—if your players were consistently selfish?• Come up with at least a few words or phrases before

advancing to the next slide.


Selfish is…• Here are some words and phrases often used to describe

a selfish worker:• Hoards rather than shares information and resources.• Takes actions without considering their impact on

others.• Demonstrates indifference to the efforts and

accomplishments of others.• Turns a deaf ear to the opinions and insights of others.• Nurses grievances privately.• Always attempts to get their way.


The Root Cause is…• Now imagine that we could rate a team by percentile

according to its Teamishness/Selfishness (henceforth T/S) ratio.


The Root Cause is…• Now imagine that we could rate a team by percentile

according to its Teamishness/Selfishness (henceforth T/S) ratio.

• Now ask yourself what would be the probable causes of a low T/S ranking?• Think of at least several possible answers before

advancing.


Selfish People?• If you answered “selfish people,” you are right in a way,

but your answer just raises another question; “Why are your selfish teammates acting selfishly much of the time?”


Selfish People?• If you answered “selfish people,” you are right in a way,

but your answer just raises another question; “Why are your selfish teammates acting selfishly much of the time?”

• This isn’t a trick question; try to think of at least one answer before advancing.


The Joys of Selfishness• Now ask yourself the question, “What are the rewards of

acting selfishly?”• Think of at least one or two answers before advancing.


The Joys of Selfishness• Here are some of the answers you may have thought of…

• Praise• Recognition• Status• Flexibility• Money• Fame• Ease


Crazy?• Now ask yourself, “What idiot would reward selfishness

with praise, money, status, etc?”• Try to think of at least one answer before turning the

page.


Crazy?• This one has a correct answer: The idiot who rewards the

selfishness of your team members is…you! (Assuming, of course, that you are the team’s leader.)




• You may talk a good game about teamwork, but when it comes to doling out the goodies, you are probably delivering them on the basis of individual achievement and not on the basis of contribution to the team’s welfare.




• You may talk a good game about teamwork, but when it comes to doling out the goodies, you are probably delivering them on the basis of individual achievement and not on the basis of contribution to the team’s welfare.

• As Pogo once said…”We has met the enemy, and they is us.”


Money• As many researchers have found, money isn’t the

greatest motivator, but it’s the most tangible payback for performance and behavior, so I’ll start with it.


Money Questions• Ask yourself these two critical questions:


Money• Ask yourself these two critical questions:

• Have I based my decisions about raises, bonuses and promotions more on an individual’s achievements, or more on their teamishness?




• Does the individual clearly understand that their raises, bonuses and promotions have been based more on their contribution to the team’s success rather than on their individual achievements?




• Does the individual clearly understand that their raises, bonuses and promotions have been based more on their contribution to the team’s success rather than on their individual achievements?

• If you answered no to these questions, you probably need to increase your reinforcement of teamish behavior.


Fame, Glory, Praise, Recognition• Social rewards such as praise and recognition often play

a greater role in shaping someone’s decisions than does money or the prospect of promotion. Chances are good that you supply these rewards, too, based more on individual achievement than on contribution to the team’s effort.


Fame, Glory, Praise, Recognition• Social rewards such as praise and recognition often play

a greater role in shaping someone’s decisions than does money or the prospect of promotion. Chances are good that you supply these rewards, too, based more on individual achievement than on contribution to the team’s effort.

• Examine your conscience concerning social rewards, and consider adjusting the balance of reinforcement of selfish and teamish behaviors.


Get Granular• All of us are mostly blissfully unaware of the messages we

are sending to others via our “non-verbals”—things like our facial expressions, body language, eye contact, intonation, etc.




• Your employees are paying much more attention than you think to your non-verbals and may look for your true meaning in them rather than in your words.




• Your employees are paying much more attention than you think to your non-verbals and may look for your true meaning in them rather than in your words.

• Become more aware of your non-verbals, and do your best to ensure that they reinforce teamish behavior.


Teammate-to-Teammate• You aren’t the only supplier of rewards to your team

members. Particularly when it comes to social recognition, teammate-to-teammate interaction can greatly influence behavior.


Mate-to-Mate Reinforcement• The behaviors your team members are reinforcing in one

another may be teamish or selfish.


Mate-to-Mate Reinforcement• The behaviors your team members are reinforcing in one

another may be teamish or selfish.• Why would one team member reinforce selfishness in a

fellow team member? • Try to think of an explanation before advancing.


M2M Reinforcement Explained• There are at least two possible explanations for

teammates reinforcing one another’s selfishness:



teammates reinforcing one another’s selfishness:• They’ve seen it done so often by others—including you

—that it doesn’t occur to them not to reinforce selfishness.





• They are demonstrating “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch mine.” (This is a sort of “conspiracy of selfishness.”)





• They are demonstrating “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch mine.” (This is a sort of “conspiracy of selfishness.”)

• What can you do if mate-to-mate reinforcement is reinforcing the wrong behaviors?• Try to think of an answer before advancing.


Reinforce Your Reinforcers• If mate-to-mate reinforcement is reinforcing the wrong

behaviors, your role is to “reinforce the reinforcers” for reinforcing the right behaviors.


Reinforce Your Reinforcers• If mate-to-mate reinforcement is reinforcing the wrong

behaviors, your role is to “reinforce the reinforcers” for reinforcing the right behaviors.

• How much of this do you need to do? Simple…do it until you see the change in behavior that you are driving for.


Punish Your Reinforcers?• Would it ever be appropriate for you to punish your

teammates for reinforcing the wrong things in one another?


Punish Your Reinforcers?• Would it ever be appropriate for you to punish your

teammates for reinforcing the wrong things in one another?

• No, unless something really heinous is going on, which is highly unlikely.


Your Boss is Part of the Problem• Chances are that your boss is also a part of your problem.


Your Boss is Part of the Problem• Chances are that your boss is also a part of your problem.• If the boss provides feedback to your team members that

reinforces selfishness, it’s your job to change your boss.



reinforces selfishness, it’s your job to change your boss.• “And how the heck am I going to manage that?” you ask.



reinforces selfishness, it’s your job to change your boss.• “And how the heck am I going to manage that?” you ask. • The answer is that you have much more potential

influence over your boss than you might think. Just say, “Thank you for letting Jack know his importance to the team effort,” and keep at it and, eventually, the boss will have acquired a new habit.• It’s not that simple, of course, but I’ll leave a full

treatment of the topic of reinforcement for another time.


Who’ll Reinforce Your New Behaviors?• Okay, let’s take a look at the things we’ve added to your

to-do list today. You now know that you must:



to-do list today. You now know that you must:• Reduce your reinforcement of selfish behavior.



to-do list today. You now know that you must:• Reduce your reinforcement of selfish behavior.• Increase your reinforcement of teamish behavior.



to-do list today. You now know that you must:• Reduce your reinforcement of selfish behavior.• Increase your reinforcement of teamish behavior.• Reinforce your team members’ reinforcement of

teamishness in one another.




teamishness in one another.• Reinforce your boss’ reinforcement of teamish behavior

by your team members.





by your team members.• I’m asking a lot of you, I know. I also expect you to fail.





by your team members.• I’m asking a lot of you, I know. I also expect you to fail.• Unless…


Engineer Your Own Reinforcement• You’re not any different than your team members or your

boss. The odds that you can acquire new behaviors are unfavorable, unless a new stream of reinforcement begins to flow in your direction.




• Some of that reinforcement might flow from your team members and some might flow from your boss, but don’t count on it. Instead, devise ways to give yourself reinforcement for doing the right things.




• Some of that reinforcement might flow from your team members and some might flow from your boss, but don’t count on it. Instead, devise ways to give yourself reinforcement for doing the right things.

• How are you going to do that?• Try to come up with at least one idea before advancing.


Be Your Own Scorekeeper• How are you going to reinforce yourself?



• If you keep a journal, use your daily entries to explore your reinforcing efforts of late. Even just making shorthand notes on your calendar is a form of journaling.




• You also might find it helpful to keep a reinforcement log. (This has a multitude of benefits outside the scope of today’s topic.)





• Another approach is to keep up a list of your “Personal Best” days, and keep trying to better your best.





• Another approach is to keep up a list of your “Personal Best” days, and keep trying to better your best.

• Do enough of the above, and you’ll soon see changes in your team’s T/S ratio.


Mum’s the Word• Please don’t announce your determination to transform

your team. This could inflate your team members’ anxiety and/or set them up to judge your every action to see if you are really walking your talk.


Party Poopers• Don’t be surprised if some of your players resist your shift

in focus to teamishness.



in focus to teamishness.• These are typically those who have received a lot of

reinforcement—until now—for having achieved much as an individual contributor. They may resent any movement of your spotlight away from their spot on the stage and may “act out” their resentment until they are convinced that they can’t move you backwards.



in focus to teamishness.• These are typically those who have received a lot of

reinforcement—until now—for having achieved much as an individual contributor. They may resent any movement of your spotlight away from their spot on the stage and may “act out” their resentment until they are convinced that they can’t move you backwards.

• Be brave and hang in there!


And in Conclusion• It may take some time, but you can definitely increase

your team’s ranking on the percentile scale as far as teamish behavior goes.




• Is it worth the trouble?




• Is it worth the trouble?• I think it is. You’ll be amazed at how much easier your job

will become and how much more fun it will be once you “get the players to play as a team.”




• Is it worth the trouble?• I think it is. You’ll be amazed at how much easier your job

will become and how much more fun it will be once you “get the players to play as a team.”

•GOOD LUCK!


Thanks!• Thanks for reading this little treatise. I’ve always liked

visiting (your town) and spending a little time with you, (your name.)

• If you’d like to provide feedback or tell a bit about your own experiences, I’d be delighted to hear from you. You can reach me through several channels:• 720/951-5440• [email protected]• Learningmaverick.com (WordPress)• @dennisafahey (Twitter)


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