Solution Saturday: I Work with a Very Negative Team

Leaders monitor environments:

Congratulations for being aware of your environment. Leaders pay attention to the way people feel while they work together. You can’t control feelings. You can influence them.

David Foster Wallace writes, “There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes “What the hell is water?

Leaders create environments:

It’s far too easy to notice what’s wrong than it is to do something about it. Taking responsibility for the way it feels to work together seems like trying to feel the water we swim in.

Paint a picture of what you want, after noticing what you don’t want. Move from generalities to specific behaviors.

1. How do people treat each other in positive environments?
2. What do people say to each other in positive environments?
3. What behaviors will you honor?

Focus on simple behaviors. We smile and stand when team members enter our office, for example.