Celebrate InTERdependence at Work
Jun 30, 2024
We Americans celebrate Independence Day this week. In the U.S., we think of it as the birth of our country.
You may have birthed your own business by declaring your independence from working for someone else. Or, you chose independence from a bad boss and now work for someone else.
Either way, to achieve your dream to Work Positive, you must be inTERdependent, and creating a positive work culture with a dream team.
Here are 3 Strategies to Celebrate InTERdependence with your team this week:
Discover Your Unique Contributions
Some tasks come more naturally to you. You require less effort to do them. In fact, you find them invigorating, fulfilling, and self-sustaining.
Think of these as your unique contributions to make to the company. “Unique” because they are yours to make. “Contributions” because they align your daily tasks with the company’s goals and foster your belonging.
Identify your unique contributions by asking, “What is it I do best that benefits the company most that I find most satisfying?”
Prioritize these functions in your daily schedule. Insure you give them the most time, energy, and attention.
Delegate to Others
Regardless of your responsibilities, lead and influence others to discover their unique contribution. I coach those hiring to add teammates based on their unique contributions that complement current teams and best fulfill the company mission.
The challenge is to release the fantasy that you can do everything all at once. You’re good, but with an interdependent team, you grow great people and profits!
Delegate those less-fulfilling tasks to the team if you’re in a leadership position. If you’re not, have a meaningful conversation with your leader about how you can increase productivity and profits by working more from your unique contribution. Clearly identify those necessary skills that lie outside of your unique contributions and assign or ask for reassignment to those for whom it’s an invigorating function.
As you do, you activate the team’s internal motivators which increases engagement and profitability.
Develop Relationships
Having discovered your unique contributions, shaped the team around theirs, and delegated your outlying tasks, you focus next on developing internal and external relationships.
You communicate internally with teammates to ask for feedback about the achievement of company goals using their unique contributions. Talk about how their functions fit with others to positively lift everyone’s work.
If you’re a leader, ask, “How may I best help you succeed to achieve your goals?” and “What are your personal growth goals on this team?”
If you’re not a formal leader, ask, “How do your daily tasks align with the company mission?” Then offer how yours align.
The achievement of your work dreams externally lies at the intersection of your customers’ desires and your team’s unique contributions. Ask your customers, “How may we best help you?” and “What products/services do you wish we offered?” If you’re not in a customer-facing position, talk with those who are. Or, research your industry and its customers.
Align their answers with your team’s unique contributions. Facilitate the identification of the most profitable answers that fit the company’s core business.
Yes, your Independence Day is worth celebrating.
Insure you create a positive work culture that celebrates yours and the team’s inTERdependence.
Discover your unique contributions.
Delegate to others.
Develop internal and external relationships.
Celebrate InTERdependence Day every day as you Work Positive!
Subscribe to the Work Positive Newsletter
Get the latest blog, podcast, and other resources weekly that help you Work Positive.
We detest SPAM and guard your information carefully. Unsubscribe any time we violate your trust.
