People are people, which means the dynamic on a team will fluctuate around the different personalities, as well as be influenced by different circumstances that a team Faces. 
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Whether you lead a team, or are a member of a team, you should keep your eye on the team’s health and occasionally do a WOF to see if anything needs adjusting -- i.e., the team is firing on all cylinders, where everybody is reasonably engaged and committed, and where you’re getting good results.  

Here are some symptoms of a dysfunctional team:

• Polite conversations, especially after everyone has been together for a while
• Very little vulnerability
• Conflict is seen as a bad thing
• Meetings that happen either before or after the scheduled team meeting
• Inability to see the whole; focused instead on ‘my part’
• An inner circle:  in group/out group dynamic
• Trust equates to loyalty
• Very little affirmation going on
• Little or no accountability

Below is a link to my conversation with Mel Homer on Magic Talk Radio where we discuss the topic dysfunctional teams and what can be done if we find ourselves on one.

At work, and in life, building a strong personal brand is important. It’s also a choice. Even if you don’t care about how you come across to others, the people around you make all kinds of assumptions about who you are – based on each and every encounter they have with you. 

If you have a poor reputation and your brand is weak, you won’t have as much impact in your work – especially if you want people to hear your ideas.  So it really does pay to devote some time and effort to build a strong personal brand – with every single opportunity that comes your way. 

If you don’t look after your brand, you leave yourself open to being passed by, or even worse, being avoided by people around you. Can you really afford to have that happen?

When thinking about personal brand, there are 5 questions to ask if you want people to be drawn into you. They are:

1. Are you good at what you do?
2. Are you consistent?
3. How well do people know you?
4. Are you spending enough time being vs. doing?
5. Are you your authentic self when connecting with others?

This is my conversation with Mel Homer on Magic Talk Radio where we discuss the topic of building your personal brand at work.

Prior to the global COVID-19 pandemic, I talked with L. David Marquet, a top graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and commander of the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine USS Santa Fe from 1999 to 2001. As commander, he transformed the sub from “worst to first,” and achieved the highest retention and operational standings in the navy. 

In this interview, David discussed his realisation that the traditional leadership approach of “take control, give orders,” wouldn’t work. He “turned his ship around” by treating the crew as leaders, not followers, and giving control, not taking control.

If you are interested in learning more about John Spence, visit his website at https://www.davidmarquet.com/.