I have come across and been a part of many high-functioning teams that deliver solutions to stakeholders over the years. The ability to do this, with quality and consistency, across a wide variety of circumstances is truly what sets teams a part from one another. However, we have all been there; each in their own ways, stakeholders and leaders looking to squeeze just a little bit more out of a team or a team claiming that the way things are being done / how the solution had to be built is very much less than to be desired. All of this leads to us believing we can be better. And to be clear, we can. No doubt. But at what cost? When teams start to realize what it will take to get to better, things typically start to change.
The reality is that most people are very comfortable ‘just working’; progress is made and they are willing/able to take their lumps over time when something isn’t enough and/or doesn’t happen as expected. Being and doing better requires additional resources up front (time, money, team) to slingshot past where you are today so that it lands at a new, higher baseline over time; remember transformation is painful.
Real change to be better can only be made with conviction, confidence and resolve.
- Conviction
- a fixed or firm belief: No clever argument, no persuasive fact or theory could make a dent in his conviction in the rightness of his position 1
Individuals and teams need to believe in what they are doing and how they are going about doing it. This isn’t being rigid; to the contrary, active listening and responding to change are critical in maintaining conviction. However, if an individual and/or team is so easily swayed by other’s pressure, there should be no expectation that anybody would agree to their beliefs.
- Confidence
- certitude; assurance: He described the situation with such confidence that the audience believed him completely 2
Confidence is all about the presentation. People see your conviction through confidence; it is what allows belief and trust to be generated and allows for change to happen without friction.
- Resolve
- firmness of purpose or intent 3
As Billy Ocean sang, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”4 But when there is friction, we find out how much we believe in our ideas. People, both on the team and outside of it, will try to change the path forward to what is easier or more comfortable. They will go deep into their bag of tricks to try and throw you off your game and make the decision to move backward versus being steadfast in the direction you and your team are heading.
Get me off of this ride
Left to their own devices, teams will not change and won’t get better. Someone has to be a catalyst and they have to pick the stop and go. Someone also needs to be the sponsor; a person who has enough clout in the organization for when even your resolve isn’t enough, you need to borrow someone else’s. Don’t wait thinking someone else is going to spark change or think it is not your responsibility; if you think change is needed, but don’t feel like you are empowered maybe you are the catalyst then. If you work with people that truly want to be better, you will find them.
Being better is not for the faint of heart. You, your teams, and everyone you work with have to really want it in order to make it happen. When any one person faulters, the entire team and process start back at zero. With conviction, confidence and resolve you can be the hero in your transformation story.