Creating a Great Work Environment

What Makes Teams Great

One day, Google asked itself a question. Why do some teams outperform others? The company had hundreds of teams and a wide range of performance levels. They were curious what made Team A outperform Team B. Why did some perform well while others struggled? As a result, they created a project called Google Aristotle.

The objective was to understand the dynamics of teams and improve performance across the board. They tested many configurations of teams, from all men, all women, groups of friends, groups of strangers, teams with strong leaders, and teams with weak leaders. The initial results frustrated them. Subsequently, they found a critical factor in team success. They termed it “Psychological Safety.”

Psychological Safety

I believe strongly in creating a team environment where everyone works together in harmony. This practice is extremely valuable, and not only do I use it on all my teams but teach it to everyone I work with. Psychological safety is a term used by Google meaning everyone on the team feels comfortable participating. They feel confident speaking in meetings and sharing ideas without fear. In this environment, there is no negative, condescending, or critical talk allowed. No one hogs the spotlight, doing all the talking or interrupting other speakers; everyone participates. That doesn’t mean everyone agrees; it just means we disagree in a productive way. If you use this technique, you will see the benefits over time and watch the confidence of your team grow as they begin sharing more in meetings.

The Mastermind

I have used techniques similar to psychological safety even before Google existed. I read a book written in the 1930s called Think and Grow Rich. It was written by Napoleon Hill and is a must-read book. Napoleon interviewed Andrew Carnegie, who was at one time the richest man in America, to create this book. In this book, Napoleon discusses a concept called “The Mastermind.”

This concept is similar to the concept Google outlined with Project Aristotle. The mastermind talks about the coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people who work toward a definite purpose or goal in the spirit of harmony. When two people come together in harmony, an intangible force is created, like a third mind. Read the book and try to create a mastermind group. I have seen amazing results from groups I have created.

Here is the link to buy "Think and Grow Rich" on Amazon.

Safe Environment

Psychological safety lays the foundation for a safe environment. When people feel safe, it leads to trust and cooperation within the team. The team will be open to new ideas and new projects. You will end up with a productive, engaged group with a high employee retention rate.

On the other side, if you have an unsafe environment, you will see the opposite. Walls go up and paranoia sets in when people feel unsafe. They begin to worry and watch their backs. Sharing and cooperation stops, and everyone will be more interested in their self-interest than the projects at hand. Your performance tanks and you begin to hear complaints and see interpersonal conflicts arise. Then you need to follow several of the steps in this book to get the team back on the right track. It’s ten times harder to create a safe environment than it is to destroy it. Irreparable damage can be caused in a single meeting, so be careful.

I listed below some of the reasons why an environment becomes unsafe. Unfortunately, I have seen all these behaviors.

No Communication

I am listing this one first because I have seen this the most. When a leader doesn’t communicate with you regularly it’s normal to begin to worry. You begin to wonder have I done something wrong or am I performing as expected? To avoid this, make a point to personally meet with everyone on your team no less than once a month. More frequent meetings are preferred.

Losing Trust

When a manager or anyone is caught in a lie, it destroys trust in that individual. Trust is a hard thing to build up, and once lost, it’s nearly impossible to regain. Another way of losing trust in the team is to be stabbed in the back by a coworker. Who knows why this happens; jealousy, anger, or a desire to pull you down and raise themselves up? Either of these two situations creates anxiety and an unsafe environment.

To Be Continued...

This is just a subset of the chapter. There is a lot more to review about creating a great working environment. I listed a few of the items below that will be in this chapter. I have a projected release date for the book on 9/22/2021.

- How to do a one-on-one meeting.
- Character matters.
- Putting people first.
- Don’t micromanage.
- Creating a bias for action.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Regards,

Scott Matson

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