It’s that time of the year again and we are planning our ‘team day‘ to sign off another year.
This is always a special day when we discuss our plans for the new year, do a few team things together and toast the successes during the year gone by.
My team is really important to me and while this is made up of a group of individuals it is the collective that makes it so special.
We work hard to create a special atmosphere that allows a team spirit to thrive – this is always about respecting each other, working hard, having fun, encouraging, praising, supporting, celebrating special occasions, team days and every Friday we go to lunch together and break bread.
We call this #WinHappy and it is about working hard together in a good, enjoyable, supportive atmosphere – when you get this right you win with a big smile on your face!
The team spirit process starts when we recruit and we place a big emphasis on the character of the individual as well as their technical ability. In our job specifications we make it clear that we want ‘heart and soul‘ team players.
While we work hard to create that special atmosphere it will only happen when the individual plays their part, which does involve a sacrifice on their part.
Will I stay on for drinks after work, will I give up my Friday lunch, will I stay back and help, will I attend the networking event, will I give up my night and celebrate with the team? Why can’t I just punch in my time and head home once my work is done?
While I would love to say we always get it right in Fuzion and succeed in creating that special team spirit there have been times when this just hasn’t been the case. Invariably the reason for this has been that someone who doesn’t fully buy into or fit into the Fuzion ethos has started working with us and it quickly upsets the whole dynamic.
When this dynamic isn’t right it is very damaging for the whole business and everything becomes more difficult. It is like playing a match with a big weight on your back and at the time you realise that something is wrong but often it’s not a very easy thing to sort out.
When it is not right you end up with unhealthy cliques, sniping and personal agendas, people not helping each other, upset and stress, jealousy, silly games, poor work and a lack of commitment. This will impact on the quality of the work at some point.
Even worse in our own business I have witnessed the transformation of great, positive people into disheartened, unmotivated and disruptive individuals in a matter of months when the wrong atmosphere develops. Just one person who isn’t the right fit can change everything.
On each of the few occasions when this happened it has been quite easy to pinpoint the individuals who upset the team balance and in every single case during the recruitment process I can recall that clear voice in my head saying “they are not a fit for Fuzion” or “this just doesn’t feel right“.
In each of these scenarios I forced myself to ignore the voice in my head when the evidence on their CV’s was so strong convincing me that they would be a great fit for Fuzion – none of these appointments have ever worked out!
I wonder if each of the individuals themselves knew they weren’t a fit? – I guess when you need a job you too can ignore these voices.
I’m looking forward to our team day, to enjoying the year ahead together and making sure that I always listen to those reliable voices..
Greg Canty is a Partner of Fuzion PR, Marketing and Graphic Design, with offices in Dublin and Cork
Tags: Fuzion Marketing & PR, Greg Canty, Teamwork, WinHappy
Greg Canty Fuzion Blog 
December 21, 2015 at 1:24 am |
Wise words, Greg. I’ve read plenty of good advice about what to look for when recruiting. One sage piece said you should ask yourself three questions:
1) Can they do the job?
2) Do they want the job?
3) Will they fit in?
If the answer’s ‘yes’ to all three then you’ve got your person.
An Australian recruiter, called Greg Savage, who is a leading global figure in the field put it in very salty terms. He said every recruiting policy should be based on two things:
a) No passengers
b) No d**kheads
Simple but effective.
Best wishes for 2016.
December 22, 2015 at 11:50 am |
Hi Fergal, That really is a simple three step rule. Number 3 was where I had my doubts in each case and I took a gamble that didn’t pay off. Can’t gamble with such important things. Greg
December 29, 2015 at 12:10 am
A similar thing has happened to me recently in a different context. In my case I wanted to be fair to the other person and give them a chance, but it became clear very quickly that it wasn’t going to work out. By the time it got sorted out there was a lovely mess to clear up. Listen to the alarm bells going off (and don’t hit that snooze button!).
January 3, 2016 at 5:05 pm
I hope it sorted fergal