A is for Acceptance – building a great Team

Building a Team is not easy but very much doable. We have talked through two elements of a TEAM – Turst, and Enthusiasm.

Let’s have a look at the third aspect of a great Team – Acceptance.

What do you mean by Acceptance?

Yes, let’s clarify the implications of this word first.

It does not mean that every kind of behaviour or attitude is accepted. This does not mean that members of the Team are allowed to be rude, mean, unpleasant or unprofessional because this is what is accepted.

In a nutshell, the Acceptance does not refer to giving permission to negative elements or aspects of a person or environment.

On the contrary, we want to create a positive and welcoming space. How?

• By encouraging your Team to have an open mind and be accepting of everyone’s different skills and experiences.
• By supporting the notion that everyone makes mistakes, and that’s how we learn and grow. This is where psychological safety comes in. You can read more about psychological safety in a team in this Harvard Business Review article.
• Through building the environment where your team members accept the concept of having different ideas and how they help with creativity, diversity, or finding solutions that are original.

Why Acceptance is important in a Team

Imagine a team where every member is given the space and time to explain their ideas. Picture a team where everyone is excited about each other’s experiences. Where a suggestion for a solution – however mad or impossible – is given a green light.

This is what having Acceptance in a Team does. You create a space for everyone to be themselves. Everyone’s unique qualities make up a big and rich puzzle that your Team is, and your Team is proud of forming such a diverse tapestry.

Everyone knows they have some shortcomings, but no one is feeling like a failure for them.

No one acts like they are better than others.

A positive and accepting Team starts with you – their leader. You model the behaviours and attitude that you want to see in your Team. Your Team follows what they see through you.

One of my little aims is to have a Team where everyone wants to be in the same room with each other. This is how I know there is Acceptance in the Team.

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What does Acceptance in a Team mean to you? How does it show? How did you build it?

Let us know in the comments!

Feature image by LeeAnn Cline on Unsplash ; middle-of-page image by Nguyen Thu Hoai on Unsplash