Flexible & friendly beats smart

Wharton@Work asked members in its December 2007 poll, "What are the most important qualities you look for in team members?" They answered:

• Flexibility/adaptability - 40 percent
• Interpersonal skills - 29 percent
• Specific functional skills - 15 percent
• Intelligence - 12 percent
• Loyalty - 4 percent

Turns out that most of what you really need to know, you DID learn in kindergarten.

As parents, many of us know that one of the competencies expected before children progress in school is the ability to transition smoothly from activity to activity on agendas set by circumstances. And getting along with others is, of course, essential at all ages. What's interesting here is how unimportant intelligence and loyalty are. Once you think about it, though, it makes perfect sense. We've all known people who were incredibly bright, but very difficult to work with. Stanford-Binet intelligence tests don't measure emotional intelligence, which is far more important in teamwork than spatial manipulation ability in most cases. Personal loyalty, too, can be problematic, if it prompts people to cover up unproductive behaviors, support faulty premises, or avoid challenging things which may cause problems later.

Teams drive work

Why should you keep those important team characteristics in mind? Because they are the driving force behind work, according to Wharton's January poll. When asked if leaders or teams primarily drove their work, 52 percent of members said teams, 34 percent said a balance of the two, and only 14 percent said their work was driven by leaders.

Smart is as smart does, my mother used to say. Smart leaders put their money on teamwork.

Workplace frustrations

A recent USA Today "snapshot" presented results of a survey to 1,200 workers listing their top five workplace frustrations. The results:

1. Poor communication by senior management about the business - 17 percent
2. Office Politics - 16 percent
3. Lack of teamwork - 15 percent
4. The use of politically correct language - 9 percent
5. Nosy co-workers - 6 percent

Let's break them down:

Poor communication about the business

One of primary benefits Barr Corporate Success brings is an immediate focus on identifying the top strategic objectives for a business, and, equally important - communicating and cascading those objectives throughout all levels of the organization. If you don't know how, we do. It's critical that front-line employees have the knowledge, mindset, culture, and tools to bring upper-level initiatives all the way down to customer relations. Front line employees want and need information, and to know what really matters and will contribute to their success by contributing to the company's success.

Office Politics

Politics are no more or no less than an expression of power struggles in poorly defined structures, confusion about objectives, and a lack of trust in co-workers. Teams must have the time, space, and structure to know each other, know what matters, and pursue it cohesively. Individual team members must be held accountable for behavior that divides and sabotages teams. Incentives must be geared toward rewarding all efforts that contribute to the success of the team in meeting defined objectives, even those efforts that are less visible, or harder to measure, and similarly, behavior that rewards the individual but damages the team should not be rewarded. It may sound complex, but Barr Corporate Success has simple, straightforward tools to align your company's systems with its goals, and eliminate the distractions of destructive competition, converting that energy into productive cooperation.

Lack of Teamwork

Teams suffer from a variety of ills, chief among them being a failure to understand that each team needs a diverse group of talents and styles to initiate projects, see to the details, and ensure results. Different work styles bring different strengths and talents. Barr Corporate Success has some amazing programs to foster mutual respect and understanding of what each team member brings to each project, and to the company's long-term goals.

Politically correct language

This listed item, in my opinion, reflects many people's frustration at having their intent misunderstood or mischaracterized. All of us have occasionally misspoken or made an offhand comment that flopped with the audience. When among friends, we speak freely, knowing that others will understand us, call us on something borderline, and give us the benefit of the doubt if we express ourselves badly. But in a business environment, we interact with a much wider group of people with whom we have less in common. That's why offering opportunities for employees to get to know one another on a slightly more personal level, through team-building exercises, can be groundbreaking. It's difficult to get much done if one is watching every word he says, or parsing everything another says, looking for something objectionable. Such an environment lacks trust and understanding, and is poisonous to cooperation. When teams know, understand, and trust each other, miscommunications and frustrations over word choices are much less of a problem -- because they're much more likely to be brought out into the open, and resolved very happily.

Barr Corporate Success has a team-building program that involves personalized assessment of work styles and personal interests, attitudes, and values. When a team sits down together, and understands one another's styles and driving interests, the team as a whole draws together and better appreciates the advantages of diverse talents and styles. Call 513.470.8980 for more information about DISC- and PIAV-based team-building programs.

Nosy Co-workers One person's nosy co-worker is another person's best friend at work. Again, It all comes down to lack of trust, violation of others' boundaries, and different styles. We can help.

It's inspiring and uplifting to know that these top work peeves can be easily solved with the right tools. Imagine how productive your company will be when those frustrations and distractions are out of the way, and every employee's attention is focused on achieving important goals with their teammates.

Warning Signs

To succeed in business at any level, but particularly at the executive level, having a finely tuned radar for who can and who cannot be trusted is critical. Beef up your radar with the following. According to author Mark McCormack in Staying Street Smart in the Internet Age (Viking/Penguin), be especially cautious of those who:

• Rarely do what they say they will.
• Push their work onto you.
• Do not apologize for being late.
• Tell you, "I'm too busy."
• Reject your ideas out-of-hand.
• Won't let you off the hook when you're in a jam.

All the above are indications that a person is concerned only with their own needs, and unwilling or unable to consider other points of view. That rigidity and lack of empathy can indicate a lack of what we would all call, simply, "character," so be on the lookout.

Work-life balance tops pay

To recruit and retain the best workforce, it's important to know what people want. A recent Hudson survey of 1,634 workers who have been in their current positions for at least 5 years ranks the primary reason they accepted their current position. (Please note that respondents were to choose the one most important reason.)

Top Responses

1. Work-life balance and flexibility - 29 percent
2. Compensation - 23 percent
3. Work culture - 13 percent
4. Training opportunities - 5 percent
5. Advancement opportunities - 5 percent

Are your recruiters and advertisements emphasizing advantages that bring the most candidates, and offer what jobseekers are looking for? It's worth a second look.

What spurs innovation?

What is the most important driver of innovation for companies?

Many of us might say that innovation is driven by having the most creative talent on board. But we would be wrong. While it is important to have talented people working with us, an unsupportive environment can quickly turn off the creativity switch, and send our creative people into a defensive posture where they fear making a mistake, feel unsupported, and avoid taking chances -- the backbone of creativity and innovation.

By the numbers, top execs say the important factors in innovation are:

1. Supportive corporate culture (53 percent responding)
2. Top management support (21 percent)
3. Clear processes and measurable goals (13 percent)
4. Creative talent (5 percent)

Source: Textron survey of 150 senior-level executives

The bottom line: Build an environment open to creativity, which drives innovation, and innovation will come.

Barr Corporate Success has the tools and the knowledge to unleash the creativity, enthusiasm, and productivity of your workforce. To discuss your situation and needs, please contact Krissi Barr: krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com or 513.470.8980.