Are your team members able to recognise and accept different views, opinions, and perspectives across the team?
The teams I work with develop emotional intelligence, as a team, by striving to perceive things from one another viewpoint.
They ask, “Are there any points of view we haven’t heard yet or haven’t fully thought through?”. They invite and welcome difference and are comfortable with this tension.
When managed well, sharing different or opposing perspectives and opinions helps teams to build trust, and leads to greater participation from each member. Of course, a key step in managing this well, and supporting the well-being of individual team members, is to set ground rules at the outset for how to navigate conflict and tension productively.
Setting the ground rules is the first step. Agreeing on how to point out misaligned behaviour is also key.
How will your team hold each other to account, respectfully?
Considering other’s points of view, leaning into tension, and caring for the well-being of others, are just some examples of norms that can help team members demonstrate they have each other’s back which, in turn, builds a sense of belonging and greater commitment towards shared goals.
Recognising, accepting, and working with difference is fundamental for any emotionally intelligent and high performing team.
Take a moment to reflect on how intentionally your team invites different perspectives into your regular conversations.
