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Consider the years' of experience and
knowledge of one person, and then multiply it by the number of team members...you
could be looking at 200 years of wisdom combined!
A team has all the capacity in the
world to identify and solve its own challenges, with usually only the
right nudge in the right direction. That nudge may be an
atmosphere of inclusion and trust that the team encounters whilst
engaged in an activity together, leading to an opportunity for members
to express and clarify issues of importance in their work with each
other.
What is important here is that the
knowledge and experience that drives the creativity, ideas and energy of
a single person is not locked behind the fears and anxieties of becoming
active and involved with others. Then that person's knowledge base
is not tapped and utilised by the team, and the team loses that source
altogether. Productivity and effectiveness are reduced.
This formula applies to all groups
engaged in any team-building activity. Each member's perceptions
and experiences are important for the team in its task of finding the
best solution or outcome. Considering everyone's ideas lies at the
very heart of effective cooperative efforts.
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But does everyone think, feel, and contribute in the same way?
If they did, that would make the sharing ideas and making decisions quite
simple and straight-forward...
The fact that everyone does not is
just a simple reminder that we are all intricately and wonderfully
human, but presents a challenging task for teams. That challenge
is to provide an atmosphere where each member feels both safe to
contribute as well as satisfied to contribute in their own way.
By feeling safe to contribute, each
person will be more prepared to become involved personally, and
therefore can learn from the |
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Whether we prefer it or not, by experiencing something personally, we
have the greatest opportunity to learn from it. This personal
experience can then be used as a basis for making further decisions and
plans. A team that creates a climate of inclusion for all members
stands to capitalise on each person's honest contributions. |
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By feeling satisfied then to
contribute in their own way, each member has the freedom to choose the
most appropriate method for them to both manage and express their
personal experiences.
Some people prefer to first think it out alone, others want to talk it
out straight.
Some are more structured, others more spontaneous.
This is where a team must provide avenues for its members to become
engaged in the ways preferred by them. And that this is great for
themselves as individuals, as much as the team.
The learning path is one of very many
different tracks...as many as all the tracks through the forests of the
world. No one track is better than the another, each has its own
benefits.
First we must want to walk the track that suits us best,
then we must
want to share our insights with the rest.
This way a team walks together with purpose towards its goals. |
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