LEARN FROM YOUR OWN TEAM

ON April 2, my firm, EQTD Consulting Malaysia, celebrated its 19th anniversary. It was an extremely proud moment for me.

First, from the complete obscurity when I started, it has grown steadily and now has multinational companies, banks, government and quasi-government agencies, non-governmental organisations and small and medium businesses in the region as clients.

Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, this is the longest job I have ever had (much to the amazement of my folks).

It’s been an arduous journey filled with many highs and lows. I spent time teaching but, in equal measure, also learning. I have learnt from my mistakes as well as from interactions with my clients, trainees and coachees.

Most of all, I have gained knowledge on how to manage teams from my own team.

Now, most of you know about team-building, right?

You gather the troops and take them to some exotic (read: campsite) locale. You organise games and quizzes, or outdoor activities such as jungle-treks and sitting around campfires.

And all this in the hope that they will return to the office and work together to be more productive!

No! That’s not where I learnt and gained knowledge from my team.

The most powerful tool for growth is relationship building and not rudimentary “teambuilding” exercises.

Everything you ever achieve in life and, consequently, at your workplace, is predicated and significantly impacted by the relationships you build with others.

You need the goodwill of the people around you to progress. And you can only expect that if you actively choose to cultivate good relationships.

Many people underestimate the value of building functional relationships based on trust and, instead, focus on the ubiquitous yet ineffective method of superficial team-building activities.

Being genuinely interested in the wellbeing of your colleagues, getting committed to a common vision as well as shared goals at work, and having a deep understanding that helping someone else in your workplace is in effect tantamount to helping yourself, is the only way to forge solid relationships.

People relating to each other as friends, colleagues and co-workers plays a major role in creating an excellent workplace. Organisations that have people supporting and helping each other to get the job done are the most successful ones.

If you like the people you work with, you are happy to wake up and go to work with a spring in your step. On the other hand, if you end up working in an organisation with colleagues who are insufferable nitwits who don’t support and help you, waking up is a nightmare!

Many of you spend more of your waking hours with co-workers than with your own spouse or family. Doesn’t it then make sense to actively build quality connections with the people that you work with?

In my experience with training and coaching, team cohesiveness happens only when co-workers actually develop rapport based on mutual respect and understanding.

No amount of teambuilding activities can create good vibes in an organisation if co-workers do not establish meaningful relationships that are sincere. And this type of association among people at work cannot be created in any artificial or forced environment.

In the 19 years of my running EQTD Consulting Malaysia, I have always hired young and dynamic people with boundless energy. And before we go out to help other people or companies to recalibrate their engagement levels, I will first start with my own people.

The focus for me is to build good workplace relationships by first establishing personal purpose for each member of my team. I follow this by helping them align their personal goals with our organisation’s objectives.

And finally, we will collectively work out how to communicate with each other, paying specific attention to individual styles and needs. This is how we built strong bonds.

Team connectivity depends on mature and professional relationships. And, of course, your team will function better together when there is a personal element to your relationships with others in your office.

The most successful leaders I have met through my work exemplify how to do this effectively. They don’t fake interest but rather become truly interested in the lives of their team members.

And they do it subtly without being obtrusive.

You must also practise good communication modalities with your team.

Only extroverted staff will contribute ideas to the group. Naturally quieter people tend to keep their opinions to themselves. But this is not to say that they don’t have opinions.

Leaders must nurture a conducive environment where everyone can be heard, and all views are respected.

Common goals that are clearly communicated, positive afterwork experiences and being able to problem-solve successfully can help a team come together.

So, focus on developing good relationships with your co-workers based on respect and trust as this will help you get the results you want.

This is how EQTD Consulting Malaysia has survived the test of time for the past 19 years.

Leaders must nurture a conducive environment where everyone can be heard, and all views are respected.