How can we make our teams more successful?

How can we make our teams more successful? I have just watched this brilliant TED talk by Adam Grant. He discusses the concept of givers, takers and matchers in organisations, and explains that takers cause paranoia. Matchers try to keep an even balance of give and take.

The best and the worst performers turn out to be givers. They make their organisations stronger by sharing their knowledge, but they need to be protected from burnout, and encouraged to ask for help. Most giving in an organisation starts with a request, which allows other people to step up and contribute.

Adam suggests that when building teams, we pay particular attention to weeding out the takers. That leaves us with givers who will be generous, and matchers who follow the norm.

We tend to be bad at working out who is a taker, because they can hide behind agreeableness. Adam’s favourite way to catch them in an interview is to ask “can you give me the names of four people whose careers you have fundamentally improved?” The takers give names of people who are more influential than them, whereas givers are more likely to name people who are below them in a hierarchy.

By reducing the number of takers, we can reduce paranoia. We can also change the way that we define success, and make it more about contributing than winning. The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed.

Project 365

I set up this website after deciding that I want to build a more creative life for myself, so I can give up my job and be in control of my own destiny.

I have set myself a goal of publishing an article on my website every day this year, to document my journey from employment to self-employment.

The name I chose was Project 365 because I see this as a year that I have dedicated to learning and self-development, as I countdown to freedom. It started on 1st January 2021, so I have 230 days to go!