34 Habits of teams [In Army Intro to Projects and Teams]
Habits of teams
What do you know about teams and how they work?
James Clear, a teams expert, shares his insights about habits and patterns that he has noticed in his work with sports teams and in other situations where discipline and teamwork are essential for success.1
He is careful to remind us that we are essentially what he calls ‘herd animals’. That is, for most of us, we want to fit in, to bond with others, and get the approval of others. We survive because we are part of a tribe and we work together. This is no more true than in any armed forces. Military life and actions are built on teams and purpose.
A powerful observation is that we don’t get to choose our earliest habits, but we observe and imitate them. James Clear calls this ‘following the script’ from our family, friends, communities and our workplaces.
We strongly tend to ‘imitate’ the habits of these three groups:
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The Close.
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The Many.
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The Powerful.
Imitating the Close
We pick up habits from the people around us. We listen, watch and over time tend to copy others. For example when we are chatting with close friends, we often assume the same posture as each other. Even with strangers we imitate: if we enter a room we haven’t been into before, we tend to copy the person in front. We often quickly form lines and imitate the next person in line.
As a rule of thumb, the closer we are to someone, the more likely we are to imitate some of their habits.
We soak up the qualities and practices of those around us. One of the most effective ways to build better habits is to join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.1
James Clear
Now, as much as this applies to our own behaviours and habits, it also matters to teams! How much are the desired habits shared and understood? What is the team commitment to focusing on these behaviours? Think about the power of associating with other teams that have the habits that we believe we want in our teams.
Imitating the Many
Experiment after experiment has shown that if we are presented with an incorrect answer to a question that we clearly know the answer to, but given by others multiple times before us, we tend to select THAT incorrect answer, even when we were initially sure of our response. And with the greater the number of incorrect responses BEFORE us, the more likely we are to conform with the incorrect answer.
The practical implication is that If we don’t know what to do or how to behave in a given situation, we are more likely to let the group guide us – that is – we copy what we see. The behaviour of the group often directs our own behaviours, even if initially it is against our own desired actions or beliefs.
Most days, we’d rather be wrong with the crowd than be right by ourselves.1
James Clear
For the most part we want to get along with others, and one way to do this is to fit in, to agree. Going against the tide is tough and takes effort and courage. Changing beliefs to fit in is one thing, but changing them to go against the mainstream is difficult. This is a crucial and powerful insight to remember, particularly given the team types and organisational structure of most of your Army context.
Imitating the Powerful
We have around us symbols, objects, titles, uniforms and positions that demonstrate how powerful is the power of status and prestige. We are trained to respond to these demonstrations of power. And they are very evident in organisations like yours!
We are drawn to behaviours that earn us respect, approval, admiration, and status. Once we fit in, we start looking for ways to stand out.1
James Clear
You can see the irony here. We learn our habits and behaviours from others. We like to do what others around us do: and we also want to be respected and stand out.
The lesson
Effective habits and behaviours are so important to team and project success. We look to successful others and teams because we want to be successful ourselves. We imitate people and teams we envy.
The biggest challenge that successful teams face is when conditions, situations, and things change! More about that later.
Here is a final tip for team and project success!
One of the best ways to create good habits and avoid or change poor ones: create the environment that optimises good ones. Put the cues in place that make the good habits obvious and visible, and hide or make invisible the cues that lead to bad ones. Many of us try to rely on self-control when we want to change habits. Science tells us that self-control is a short term rather than a long term one. Beneficial visible cues are a powerful and immediate way to learn good habits, especially in teams where shared identity is crucial.
Activity
Note the two following habits about yourself and add them to your reflective journal.
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One personal habit that is beneficial and useful for your workplace and your place in your team.
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One personal habit that is less beneficial and less useful for your workplace and your place in your team.
Now note these two habits about your team and add them to your reflective journal:
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One team habit that is beneficial and useful to your team as it delivers on its projects.
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One team habit that is less beneficial and less useful to your team as it delivers on its projects.
Now answer these quiz questions that will help to focus on beneficial habits and behaviours.
In our team, we tend to all agree with each other, even when we think that something is not quite right.
We are following the principle.
In our team, we tend to show up early, even when it is tough to do so.
We are following the principle:
In our team, we all tend to look up to our leaders.
We are following the principle:
In our team, we always try to be our best selves and we look for ways to build good habits that work for the team.
To help we will apply the following principle/s:
One of the best ways to create good habits and avoid or change poor ones is to:
Reflection
Now that you have completed the Identifying patterns section, it is time to link all your observations together. Revisit your Life Pictures. Check again your behaviours in the context of your teams, and the behaviours of your teams. Note those habits for yourself and your teams that you want to enhance.
Design visible cues that you have in front of you and also share with your team.
Hold in your mind the idea of creating these visual and visible cues that you can use to build and sustain effective habits in your life and teams.
The next section helps you to build your awareness of what is happening around you. This is important because the more aware you are of your environment and the situation you find yourself in, the better are the decisions you and your team can make, and the better the outcomes.
References
- Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results : an Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Penguin Random House.
