Aiming for Unshakable Part II

Last week we looked at the least effective operating levels on the Unshakable Ladder. Did you find yourself there? Hopefully not this early into a new year. Let’s explore the top side of the ladder.

Resolute

Focussed on production and transactional success. Relies on drive rather than delight. Often impressive results. Perspectives include “mustn’t grumble, turn up, work, get paid, go home, rinse and repeat”. It looks resilient, because people bunker down and get it done. But tension is just below the surface. People find common enemies - the boss, or company, or the greenies, or the regulator. They say their team is fine. It’s ‘us and them’ Silos and bunkers galore. Cooperation, support or collaboration beyond the immediate tribe are extremely unlikely. If challenged or held to account, the blame game starts.

Cost of Resolute:

Time: Polarity. Productive in the immediate group. Wasted as people justify, defend and shift blame to others.

Happiness/engagement: Well-being and resilience are neutral. Individuals often report high engagement, but typically scores are low across the business.

Status: Results and toughness are highly valued.

Money: Isolated returns but broad waste due to lack of cohesion. 

Cohesive

Everyone heading in the same direction. Two draft horses can reputedly pull 3x the load of one. The cohesive team achieves more than the sum of their efforts. They relish working together. The strong focus on individual results, shifts to achieving results together.

Value of Cohesive:

Time: Well spent, efficient. Focussed on long term. Urgency diminishes as proactivity increases.

Happiness/engagement: High. People enjoy the team and the sense of productive purpose. Wellbeing and resilience are high.

Status: People feel a genuine part of something bigger.

Money: ROI increases due to effective and efficient focus on collective results.

Unshakable

Results become secondary. They are still important, in fact keeping score and seeking feedback have greater focus than at other levels. Teams rise above their transactions. They stand genuinely united and deeply committed to each other. Ego and fear are still present but no longer dominate. Teams actively seek to test themselves under pressure. They value growth.

Unshakable teams and people are like self-righting lifeboats. Rough seas might capsize them, but they roll back up and carry on.

Value of Unshakable:

Time: Output is high but rarely feels pressured.

Happiness/engagement: Very high. People feel highly purposeful, valuable and respected. Well-being and resilience are extremely high.

Status: Teams get widely recognised for their results and ways of working together

Money: ROI is massive. Teams are achieving beyond the sum of their efforts.

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More from Mike

Subscribe to Mike’s weekly Unshakable Newsletter here.
Download a 1-page resource on the power of gratitude in Unshakable teams here.
Join Mike's Thrive and Adapt Workshop in Perth. $50 from each ticket will go to Australian Bushfire Relief.
Buy a copy of Mike’s book “Thrive and Adapt” here, or sign in for a complimentary PDF copy

Contact Mike to discuss organisation wide Well-being and Resilience programs that create Unshakable teams:

mike@mikehouse.com.au

+61 423 193 196

Aiming for Unshakable Part I

An Unshakable team is adaptable and relishes challenges. An Unshakable organisation treats resilience and well-being as part of every result.

What’s needed to become Unshakable? The levels apply to individuals, teams, leadership, companies and sectors, and provide some guidance.

Fragile

Pressure causes a tailspin. Many people get dragged into the drama. Restoration is difficult and costly. Scars are felt for years.

I recently spoke to a HSEQ Manager. They had 2 suicides a week apart. Tragic loss of life. Unmeasurable, lifelong impact on their families, friends and peers. Camp was shut down for weeks. A supervisor took 6 months off to deal with grief and feelings of guilt and responsibility. The company was bracing for the 12-month anniversary. This time of year will never be the same for them. Aside from the unmeasurable human costs, there are significant legal and economic risks too. Suicide is a worst-case scenario, but every instance of stress leave, mental illness, loss of focus or rumination on problems has a tail and a cost. People want to get out of the fragile state, but often can’t see how.

Cost of Fragile:

Time: picking up the pieces, holding things together

Happiness/engagement: Well-being and resilience declining. Engagement may seem high as people try to ‘rescue’ each other or the situation, but stress and unhappiness are rising.

Status: People can bond over drama which creates more drama.

Money: Increased cost. Opportunities lost.

Reactive

Like‘whack-a-mole’. No plan, no strategy, trying to stay ahead of the game. Reactive is productive but easy to disrupt. Exhaustion is common - no light at the end of the tunnel. Proactive work goes out the window. Action-oriented people find the rush of ‘fixing on the fly’ addictive. In monotonous environments, reactive feels important and purposeful. Time pressure and addictive appeal can make it hard to shift.

Cost of Reactive:

Time: Wasted on immediate fixes not underlying causes.

Happiness/engagement: Well-being and resilience low. The buzz of overcoming hurdles falls away as stress, lack of progress and exhaustion kick in.

Status: Short term praise for quick fixes. Long term reputation for last minute, chaotic action.

Money: Short, focused bursts for unanticipated workload or issues can be useful. Long term, everything happens on the fly. High turnover, balls dropped, do overs, wasted time – all hurts bottom line.

Where do you and your team lie? 

Next week we’ll look at the more effective levels Resolute, Cohesive and Unshakable.

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More from Mike

Subscribe to Mike’s weekly Unshakable Newsletter here.
Download a 1-page resource on the power of gratitude in Unshakable teams here.
Join Mike's Thrive and Adapt Workshop in Perth. $50 from each ticket will go to Australian Bushfire Relief.
Buy a copy of Mike’s book “Thrive and Adapt” here, or sign in for a complimentary PDF copy

Contact Mike to discuss organisation wide Well-being and Resilience programs that create Unshakable teams:

mike@mikehouse.com.au

+61 423 193 196