Week 18:-: Develop a win-win culture

Objectives:

·         Understand why it is important to develop a win-win culture.

·         Craft strategies to help you develop a culture of win-win.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10.

What is one of the big things that breaks friendships and destroys teamwork? If you said conflict, you are right. Conflicts show up in different ways (quarrels, disagreements, temper tantrums etc.) but generally have the same results, if not handled correctly. While there is really almost nothing you can do to completely prevent conflicts, as a servant leader, there is a lot you can do to build a culture that encourages a win-win mentality. Where humans are concerned, there will be comparisons and competitions which will in turn lead to conflict. Knowing how to manage conflict is a key skill for all leaders as either pretending that conflict does not exist or turning a blind eye to prevailing conflict is walking a dangerous road.

While conflicts, disagreements, differences etc can not necessarily be avoided, a team or community that invests in developing a win-win culture will come out stronger and united than one where there is deliberate commitment to this. The leader is generally responsible for promoting a win-win mindset in his team members. One of the best advice I received from a manager early on in my career, was to change how I saw things. He knew I was a high performer and lauded me for it but requested that I push myself to see and communicate more positively.  This was going to have a more positive and lasting effect on the team than negative remarks.

How can you therefore develop a win-win culture in your team?

1.      Put people first. Put your people first and let them know and do the same for others, as part of the team. Your people are priority not the projects. This is a controversial statement in some quarters but how can you get consistent high-quality results out of a group that knows you don’t care about them? Putting people first means caring about their personal goals as well as providing them with all the tools and training necessary to help them succeed. In non-voluntary type organizations, this further means, recognizing and rewarding performance in an equitable manner. Let people be at the center of your action. If you seek the good of those in your team and prompt line managers to do the same, most often than not, they will perform better as a unit.

2.      Promote a culture of forgiveness and peace. People generally go on the defensive in a conflict situation with everyone seeking to prove they are right. This win-lose mindset does nothing but to create further division and angst. While holding people accountable for their poor performance and attitude is important, at the end of the day you will want to restore peace and unity in the team. It is important to see beyond the attitude and work towards redeeming. You can promote a culture of forgiveness when you show forgiveness as a leader. When a team member does something that needs sanctioning, generally that is what they expect. I have seen people changed because they did not get what they deserved but rather forgiveness from their leader. This in turn impacted their attitude towards their fellow teammates. Of course, you will have situations where some people learn nothing, do not be discouraged. In the Bible we read the story of the man whom the king pardoned but he did not extend the same curtesy to his own lesser debtors. He rather locked the man up, and when the news came to the king, he was furious and ensured this “wicked” servant was locked up for good. It is mutually beneficial for a group to walk in sincere forgiveness of hurts as this builds co-operation rather than competitive finger pointing.

3.       Give your team the opportunity to participate in the development of goals.  People generally feel more committed to goals they participated in developing than those that were handed down to them. Create a forum where team members can have an input into the goals and be willing and transparent about implementing their ideas, giving credit where credit is due. I knew a manager that took the ideas of his team and presented it to top leadership as his. While top leadership applauded him for him for the ideas, he lost all influence with his subordinates. His leadership was chaotic leading to his line managers basically violating all the principles of good leadership and teamwork.

4.      Always acknowledge existing conflict and seek a common ground. Do not ignore conflict and hope it will go away magically. The mature thing to do as a leader in a bid to develop a win-win culture is communicate a mechanism for conflict resolution as well as being quick to acknowledge any existing conflicts. The next thing will be to seek to find a common ground between team members in conflict rather than taking sides. Taking sides disqualifies you as a transparent and trustworthy leader. Your focus should be on the issue rather than on the individuals and this can only happen when you seek to fully understand all sides of the issue. After determining the issues in play, you can work with all parties involved to develop a plan that prioritizes what each one can do, to come out of the situation.

5.      Develop a “one team, one goal” mindset. A team, family or organization that sees itself as a single unit with a single shared mission where each member’s contribution is vital stands a better chance of developing a win-win culture rather than one where departments are stacked against each other in ridiculous competitions. Let every member know that their contribution is valuable. Also deliberately remind them about the mission, visions and goals.

Are you committed to developing a win-win culture?

Assignment 18

1. Draw up a plan for developing a win-win culture in your place of work/school

2. Draw up a plan for developing a win-win culture in your family.

3. Share your plan with your partner from Week 18 and determine when you will both evaluate each other.

4. Write a brief summary of what you learned this week and explain why it is important for all leaders. Post on your blog and share the link in your group.