Mike Bifulco: This is Tiny Improvements.
I'm Mike by ko
No team is perfect.
Working on a team that's in
a bad place can be draining,
demoralizing, and even toxic.
A few times in my career, I've
been part of teams that were
struggling to find their footing.
And once or twice I've seen a turnaround.
There's no cure all
for a bad work culture.
But in my experience, the catalyst
for change is often remarkably small.
Something I didn't realize until I'd been
working for years, is that every person
on a team contributes to its culture.
This means that you have the power to
shape the environment that you work
in and the people that you work with.
You probably have a sense of what
your perfect team would look like.
The right balance of autonomy.
Intellectual challenge and
comradery is different for everyone.
And it's important to recognize
that your ideal team might not
be the same as someone else's.
I believe that building a great team
is not far off from the golden rule.
Be the teammate you wish you
had and others will follow suit.
Embrace the positives.
And creating a thriving team culture.
It's invaluable to draw from the
positive aspects of past experiences.
Think about the best team
you've ever worked with.
What made it so great.
Borrow bits and pieces from
that experience and remix
them to fit your current team.
Here's a couple examples
that have worked well for me.
I'll start with gratitude.
Cultivating a habit of expressing
gratitude can profoundly lift team morale.
Praise resonates
differently with each of us.
Some prefer public acknowledgement while
others appreciate a private, thank you.
It can take some time to figure out what
works best for the people you work with.
But no matter what expressing
gratitude is always a good idea.
Being openly thankful
for your team's efforts.
Foster is a positive environment and
encourages everyone to contribute.
Enthusiastically.
Take the time to show your teammates, the
things that you genuinely appreciate about
their work and their presence on the team.
Receiving that extra
bit of love feels great.
And selfishly, it feels
good to give it to.
This can be particularly tricky to do when
you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed,
but it's in those moments that a little
bit of gratitude goes a really long way.
At craftwork, we've adopted the practice
of a weekly five fifteens reflection.
A piece of work culture
cribbed from my time at Stripe.
Each week, every team member journals
about what they accomplished that
week, including the challenges that
they faced and goals for the coming
week, this reflection is time-boxed.
They take 15 minutes to write.
And each one should take no
longer than five minutes to read.
The result helps strengthen our
understanding of one another's
experiences, ensuring that no one's
efforts or struggles go unnoticed.
They also serve as a handy reminder
of personal accomplishments and
growth during performance reviews.
it forces self-reflection and
it gives us each the opportunity
to see a bit behind the curtain.
With five fifteens.
We often get to hear more aspirational
and candid thoughts than we would
otherwise hear in a typical work chat.
It helps us connect better as complex
living and breathing humans rather
than semi distant colleagues smashing
code into a computer week after week.
Up next.
Fuck.
The negatives.
Adopting additive team behaviors
is just as important as the
elimination of negative ones.
When was the last time you rolled
your eyes or heave decide at work.
This is probably a sign of something
that's ripe for improvement.
Whether it's a lack of transparency,
ineffective communication, or a culture
of overwork, recognizing these pitfalls
is the first step in eliminating them.
For example, if weekly meetings have
always felt unproductive, Consider
replacing them with more efficient
communication methods, like brief
daily stand-ups or targeted updates
through team communication tools.
Encourage your team to be vocal about
what isn't working and be proactive
and making changes that foster a more
positive and productive environment.
This not only improves the current
team dynamics, but it prevents
repetition of past mistakes.
It's a great idea to do some
introspection here, too.
I've worked hard to jettison habits of my
own that make me less fun to work with.
Oh wide spectrum of behaviors from
procrastination to communicating poorly
when I'm stressed out to recognizing
when I just need more sleep I'm far
from perfect, but chiseling away at
these things has hopefully made me a
more effective teammate over the years.
Here's the thing.
Every job will involve doing
things that aren't strictly fun.
In a sense, that's probably
why your job is a job.
But that doesn't mean that you can't
enjoy and improve the people you work
with or the environment you work in.
To truly transform your team.
Start by being the type of
teammate you would want to have.
Embrace the give and take of support,
ensuring you're as reliable and
approachable as you expect others to be.
The most important team I've ever
been a part of is my marriage.
And the best marriage advice
I ever received was really
simple: always over contribute.
If both partners are always trying to give
more than they take, you'll both be happy.
I believe this holds for nearly
all relationships, including
those with your coworkers.
Put yourself out there.
Be a catalyst for change and
grow with your teammates.
As you build the team you want to be on.
