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Nichelle Grant

December 2020 - TD Magazine

At Siemens USA, the learning and DEI departments work in tandem to achieve shared objectives.

Two Teams, One Goal

I know way too many people who hate Sundays. Why? Because in a few hours, they have to march back to their office, working on things they don’t like. I wrote this piece to help you avoid those Sunday nights. After reading this, I hope you’ll learn a thing or two about choosing a rewarding career. Last year, I interviewed JT O’Donnell, CEO of Careerealism Media and career expert. We lamented about the discontent and frustrations of the working population and examined how some people find meaningful and rewarding work. Ultimate Guide to Finding Work You Love Start by addressing the following questions: What Do You Often Read About? What kind of books do you usually read? What kind of articles do you enjoy? What magazines and blogs are you reading? List all of them and try to look for common topics or genres. The things you read are not just hobbies; in many cases, it says a lot about your personality and preferred line of work. What Excites You?  All day long, we come into contact with different things. “Some things we don’t have an opinion of (or any reaction to), some things we have a negative reaction to, while some make us happy and excited in some way,” says O’Donnell. The possibilities are endless, so don’t dismiss anything just because it’s too weird.  Write it all down in a notebook. You don’t have to explain why something excites you. For now, just try to record as many “excitement triggers” as you can. Continue writing until you have three days of notes. What Do You Secretly Fantasize About? We’re still talking careers and life ambitions here. You might want to travel to some exotic destination, feed pandas or be a mystery novelist. I know there are so many reasons for you not to pursue these dreams. Maybe your parents held you back, or maybe you’re afraid of not having a stable salary. Add these fantasies to the list. It doesn’t matter if it’s realistic or not. Next, compile everything you listed in these questions. Is there anything that comes up often? Highlight the three items that stand out. Trace these interests back into an industry, service, job, or company. “Don’t worry about their location, you’re not looking for an employer yet,” says O’Donnell.  Right now we’re just trying to see if your passion leads to a profitable job or business. Finally, try the job for yourself. This part will take the longest to complete, but it’s also the easiest way to find your dream job, so don’t skip it. After tracing your top three interests back to a company or a specific job, see if you can visit their location and observe people at work. You don’t need to intern or work there to see if you’ll like the work; just a few hours to observe should be enough. Pay attention to the day-to-day tasks of the employees. Would you enjoy doing what they do? Ask the office manager if they can let you help, even for a few hours. In many cases, I’m sure the manager will be happy to get an extra helping hand. There you go, that’s the process for finding your dream job. As you can see, it’s not some airy fairy theoretical advice, because you’ll need to test your findings at the end. Granted, the last step could take a few weeks. But it’s a minor inconvenience compared to working in a job you hate for 20 years.

Want to Stop Hating Mondays? Find a Job that Excites You

When something goes seriously wrong, it’s often announced by subtle signals.The two of us are living proof of how important it is to listen and act on those signals. At different points, we each found ourselves feeling a little bit off physically—nothing specific, just a sense that we weren’t up to speed. After diagnostic tests, we heard the same diagnosis: “You have cancer.”Caught early, our illnesses were treatable. But had we ignored those signs until they became more blatant, our stories would have had very different outcomes.One of the most damaging conditions to the health and effectiveness of teams is low trust. Like cancer, it initially produces signs that are subtle, yet dangerous to ignore: people hold back, meeting after the meeting, players left out of decisions. Collaboration doesn’t gel, team members trudge through the status quo, and engagement slips.As with cancer, early recognition and treatment are critical.Are you like many leaders who see signs of low trust in your teams and are looking for ways to address it? You can initiate three stages to turn teams around from low to high trust.Stage one: assess trustTake an honest look at how team behaviors contribute to trust. Teams value trust, but often forget their behavior builds it.Tap into internal or external support to give you an objective gauge of trust. Consider using a survey tool that validly measures trust to get a baseline of where your team’s trust stands.Probe for deeper understanding. Talk to members about their experiences of trust. Listen to what has been difficult and why.Pay attention to everyday dynamics, which get in the way of trust. Do team members give feedback with the intention to help? When a deadline is missed, do they take collective responsibility or criticize and blame others? Are they clear about what is expected, and do what they say they will do? Do they bring issues directly to the individual involved, or gossip about it to everyone else?This stage will require you to take a courageous, holistic look at team behaviors that erode trust. You will create awareness and prepare people to leverage opportunities.Stage two: address trustOpenly discuss the results from the assessment of trust.Work with your team to pinpoint two to three trust-related behaviors which, when strengthened, will make a difference.Bring the team tools to help them leverage those opportunities. If there is gossip, help your team learn how to work through issues. If people feel left out of decisions, invite their input. If members are reluctant to take risks, make it safe to admit and learn from mistakes.Equip your team with a language to discuss trust regularly. Model the transparency and open communication you wish to see. Make trust behaviors a part of everyday work.Stage three: assimilate trustWith discipline, high-trust behaviors become the norm on your team. Do not take trust for granted. Sustaining it requires constant effort.Encourage authentic dialogue around needs, uncertainties, and vulnerabilities.Ensure clear expectations, roles and responsibilities, decision-making, and agreements are standard practice.Address subtle signs telling you trust might be vulnerable the moment you see them. Be willing to wade into ambiguity and areas of difficulty. Doing so will help your team address concerns before they become problems.Case in pointThrough these stages, leaders have experienced dramatic turnarounds.A manufacturing plant went from the lowest to the highest producer of a 12-plant network in 18 months.Engagement scores in a global financial services organization improved by 25 percent in nine monthsAn insurance company’s bogged-down $30 million initiative moved ahead of schedule.As part of our cancer treatments, we became more attentive to things like healthier nutrition, appropriate exercise, and managing stress. Those changes, practiced with discipline, have brought us to a state of stronger health than we’d had before we became ill.Imagine your team in a state of vitality. When members need support they ask for and receive it. They step up with energy, new ideas, take risks, and share responsibility — not only for what they do, but also for how they do it. Confidence and commitment abounds.If that image seems far from reality, maybe it’s time to take the first step toward high team trust.