Team Norms: What are Yours?

A norm is an often unstated rule that governs how people act in a group. New members of a team usually learn the norms through observation or trial and error. These norms can work for your business or against it.

Left to their own devices, teams can become toxic, aka drama-filled! An employee arrives in a bad mood. The group norm is to complain and whine about everything. Perfect! He or she fits right in! Even a new employee who starts off with high energy can get sucked in and turn sour.

In contrast, if you put intentional focus on creating a specific culture in your organization and tolerate nothing less, the group norms will be largely defined by your efforts. To fit in, new employees will conform to the standards you set. So, decide to create a high energy culture and it will feel odd to come in to work in a sour mood.

What is your team norm now? Take a minute to think about the statements below. How do you answer? Do you like what you see?

Finish the statement: How do most people around here…

• Respond when a Manager asks them to do something?
• Resolve issues?
• Handle frustration?
• Deal with customers or patients?
• Behave in meetings?
• Collaborate (help) colleagues to get a task done?
• Respond to conflicts?
• Share responsibilities?
• Give or receive constructive feedback?
• Handle an error?
• Deal with a customer complaint?

If you don’t like what you see, what are you willing to do to change it? If you are a leader in your organization you do have the power to positively impact your culture. And it will be worth the effort! Work will be more enjoyable and you’ll create a more productive team!

Need help? Contact me ~ it’s what I love to do!!