Forming Team Identity 1: Connecting to the vision of the team3 min read
In the modern workplace, fostering a sense of purpose and belonging is critical for team engagement and productivity. Early intentional conversations are a great way to align individual roles with overarching company goals.
Humans have a deep need to feel part of something bigger and meaningful. We want to know that our lives and time are not wasted on trivial pursuits. This is especially true in the workplace, where we spend a significant portion of our waking hours. Without a clear and compelling vision, mission and purpose, the work we do — personally or within a team — lacks drive and motivation.
Start with why
Simon Sinek explains the importance of a clear vision, mission, and purpose in his book, Start with Why, using the Golden Circle principle. The Golden Circle consists of three concentric circles:
- Why (Vision + Purpose)
- How (Principles + Values)
- What (Strategies + Ways of Working)
The inside circles of ‘Why’ and ‘How’ connect to and are processed by the limbic brain, which is where trust and loyalty are born and where our gut decisions come from. The ‘What’ connects to and is processed in the neocortex, where information processing and rational thoughts occur. You can flood someone with knowledge and information (the ‘What’ circle), but it will never drive their behaviour — that happens in the limbic brain.
This is easy enough in small companies and teams, but as a company scales the vision and mission for the company and teams get diluted. We have seen this over and over.
Intentional conversation
So where to start?
The first step is extremely simple: schedule an intentional conversation over a cup of coffee. The best time to do this is usually in the first week of onboarding a new team member, but if you have missed this opportunity with most of your team members, the second best best opportunity is as soon as possible.
For some managers or team leaders conversations like this might feel overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be! We recommend preparing well, choosing a location that is not in the hustle of business and make sure you have 30-45 minutes of undisturbed time.
Here are some guidelines you can touch on during the conversation. We’ve broken it up into questions you can ask and things you can share, but feel free to weave them inbetween them.
Ask
- Why did you choose to apply for or accept the job at this company?
- Is there something about the vision and mission that makes you excited?
Share
- What is the purpose and vision of the company?
- Help them understand the company’s overarching vision and purpose and how it relates to your team’s mission and goals.
- Why does this purpose and vision excite you as a manager? How do you connect to the vision and purpose of the company?
- Understanding and being able to articulate how you personally connect to the company’s vision and purpose is critical for you to be able to communicate it to your team.
- What is the purpose and vision for the team?
- Clearly communicate your team’s mission and goals and how they contribute to the company’s vision.
- How does this specific team member’s role in the team contribute to accomplishing the team’s vision (which in turn impacts the company’s vision)?
- Help your team members understand how their work contributes to the team’s and company’s success in the long run.
These conversations are critical to have with new team members, but it is also important as team members become settled in the team and in their roles to have these type of conversations again. This will empower them to become actively involved in shaping the vision of the team, and ultimately the company.
Conclusion
It is essential to communicate the company and team’s vision and purpose clearly to every team member to inspire and motivate them in their daily activities. As a manager or team leader, preparing for these critical conversations can help your team understand their role in the company’s vision and contribute to the overall success of the company, and help meet their deep need to feel part of something bigger and meaningful.
We recommend the following reads if you are curious for more:
https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/
