Why believe in magic?
Have you ever been working on a project with someone and gotten into a flow? Where everyone is on the same proverbial page, each person is playing to his or her strength in defined roles that have clear focus, and a flow evolves that allows the vision to come alive and take on a life of its own?
When a team is in a state of flow, it generates a separate momentum, an energy distinct from each individual. This energy – or synergy – makes the power of the whole much more efficient and effective than the sum of its individual parts. Inefficiencies melt away, revealing essential actions that come together as a powerful collective force.
But the magic I’m talking about is bigger than that. If you stay in that clear, aligned state of flow as a team long enough, your enlivened vision invites other unseen energies to join you. These unseen forces begin to work on your behalf – synchronicities happen, seemingly unachievable goals are met, and answers to puzzling questions conveniently appear from unexpected places.
How do you create this for your team?
While magic can be working on your behalf, you have to take a few steps to create a container of trust, consciously shape the energy of the team (which is NOT the same as micro-management), and foster a thing called sustainable ambition.
Here are the steps, as I see them:
1) Get really clear on what you, as a team, want to accomplish and why you want to accomplish it.
This sounds simple, but you would be surprised by how many teams lose sight of this, if they even saw it clearly in the first place. This includes:
- Clarity of vision – where are you going?
- Clarity of mission – why are you going there?
- Clarity of values – what will you support and what boundaries will you not cross in order to get there?
- Clarity of roles – who’s on first?
- Clarity of action – what are the strategies and tactics used to execute the above?
All of this needs to be clear for the organization and made available to each person on the team.
2) Have each individual on the team answer the same questions for themselves on a personal level.
3) Then ask each person (and here is the alchemical agent to spark the magic): Does working with this team in this role help you fulfill your personal vision and mission while maintaining your integrity?
If you take the time to do this for the team and each individual, you will have:
- Trust in the plan
- Trust in the team
- Empowerment of the individual
- Results that meet or exceed your expectations
- A symbiotic relationship with each member of the team. The statement of intent for the organization is solid and the underlying “why” for each individual is clear and supported by the underlying “why” of the collective.
And… there is a very good chance that you will begin to see the effects of magic weave their way into the fabric of your company.
How can I support you in making this magic happen for you and your team?
Photo credit: Prelkia