It’s how you react to events and people that creates your environment and can add to a positive culture. As a leader, your reactor is one of the most powerful in your system. You are either a polluter or a generator and the exciting thing is you have a choice.
Have you ever noticed how uplifting it is to be surrounded by people of positive intent, who use clear language and who stay looking at the big picture rather than the small setbacks on the way?
Great leaders have an effortless capability as if the knocks and bumps are absorbed without impact. There are no dents in focus, no need to recriminate or to self-protect from something not going well.
“A team is full of people suffering the fallible human condition.”
It’s not easy for teams to create positive space consistently. A team is full of people suffering from the fallible human condition. We are predisposed to look for fearful situations and when we sense them our flight or fight conditioning can lead us to bring things to the team that are unhelpful.
It could be not hitting the numbers trigger the team or failing to get budget or running behind on programme. Even worse it could be in the air constantly as part of the culture.
There are 4 main behavioural contributors to team and relationship deterioration at work. Sometimes these are very subtle. If you recognise some or all of these around you, please do contact us to resolve this. Contact us.
Contempt - taking a hostile elevated position of sarcasm, belittling, cynicism, or negative humour.
Withdrawal - stonewalling, removing normal lines of communication and disengaging.
Blaming - attacking the person rather than challenging the behaviour or approach.
Defensiveness - refusing to own your own behaviour and impact. Denying and hitting out as a distraction.
If any of these are overly present it might mean your reactions in the team are unhealthy and running too hot to be effective. If people are preoccupied with surviving, they are not in a position to give their best.
If you or the team revert to these easily it is a sign that people don’t feel safe or supported. It is often a sign that you are not dealing with tension positively. Tension is a gateway to creativity; it is a positive element of business and if absorbed in the right way it allows new ideas and ways to progress, succeed and exceed.
If the team see tension dealt with badly then they will either avoid it and move away from it or become an aggressor and a player to protect themselves. In the meantime, the real issues get clouded and ignored as people are busy protecting themselves. This is the nuclear fallout effect.
Are you in a space where tension is a friend and gets explored positively?
Check-in on the reactions you have occurring around your leadership. Are you in a space where tension is a friend and gets explored positively? Are you bringing the right mixture of elements to create positive energy without destroying the environment of the team?
If you would like to find out more about the nuclear fallout effect, we are happy to have a chat and explore why there might too many toxins in your system and how to cool them down.
High performing teams are created in spaces that offer psychological safety through positive reactions and clear language.