Can you agree with each of these seven statements about your workplace?
Nobody is stuck in the problem; we go right to the solution.
Optimism is fairly high around here.
Team members offer to help others if they're overloaded.
Volunteers cover a team member's work while on leave.
People are allowed to work from home if requested.
We make decisions quickly and move on.
It's easy for us to spot what isn't working and drop it.
If you hesitate to answer yes to any of the above, and you sense that people are becoming isolated, your workplace is siloed or hierarchical, or you're looking for new ways to spur innovation, your team might need a Mind Shift.
First, check if your structure is flexible. Much has been written about the structures that are needed; I've included a summary at the end of this article* for your reference.
Next, consider these five best practices that foster flexibility as a team.
1. Master Mistakes
Mastering mistakes doesn't mean making more and better mistakes; it means maximizing the learning from each one and moving on. One of the best ways to do that is to gather the errors you've made and come together for a weekly sharing of the mistake, the lesson, and the correction.
Admitting where you've messed up creates a bond of humanity between you and others and prevents the rigidity of the need to be right. Transparency encourages accountability and increases trust.
2. Spot Check Cognitive Bias
Seek out underperforming departments with a special attachment to a product or service. The Sunk Cost Fallacy is a tendency to continue with something already invested heavily in, despite evidence that it is not working; Blockbuster is a prime example.
Knowing that attachment is the enemy of innovation, on each November Day of the Dead, Google gathered all their plans, protocols, and proposals that didn't work or were outdated, dropped them in an old coffin, lit it on fire, and celebrated as went up in smoke.
Stop short of a bonfire, but once a month, do update strategies, procedures, and timelines to assess what is no longer needed. Some teams conduct "Dumb Rules Contests" to unearth dated procedures that bloat the system.
Spot check Confirmation Bias, which is when people search out only the information they already believe, discard information that doesn't fit, or change the information until it does. Most "Ain't broke, don't fix it, always done it that way" people who are closed to new ideas are suffering from Confirmation Bias.
In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,
in the experts mind, there are few
-Zen master Shunryu
3. Language Switch
Do you get stuck in the problem or move to the solution?
Teams that are stuck in a Passive-Helpless Mindset (the problem mindset) cannot possibly consider creativity or innovation. That is because optimism is the foundational base for both, and without optimistic, future-focused, and active language, the wheels of progress grind to a stop.
Handy cards for your 30-Day Plan
Make a 30-day agreement with everyone on the team to change language from Passive-Helpless to Active-Action; here's how: Whenever a sentence begins with "We can't, we don't, they can't, they don't" (just to name the most common) agree on an immediate shift to "How can we, how can they" and so on. For example: "Corporate doesn't listen to us anyway." becomes "How can we get Corporate's attention?" Order a few packs for your team. After 30 days, if everyone is part of the game, you won't ever want to switch back.
4. Just say yes
In a meeting or conversation, when a new idea is brought up, instead of shutting it down right away, try saying "yes." Listen for what's next, and let yourselves be led around by the new idea and see what happens. Team members can suddenly be engaged with the magic of possibility. As Pferdt says in his book What's Next is Now: "yes is in the room."
When you use "Just Say Yes," each person adds a yes, and creates a whole new scenario of possibility.
5. Instead of pilot projects, do experiments.
The very nature of experiments denotes a curiosity and a willingness to accept or deny the outcome. The most flexible teams function in a state of Perpetual Experimentation - just doing. Experimentation is a way of thinking toward action, and not everything has to be in place before you start. You'll learn quickly enough as you move.
Incorporating flexibility into your team isn't just about changing processes—it's about shifting mindsets and fostering an environment where adaptability becomes second nature. By mastering mistakes, confronting biases, embracing active language, saying "yes" to new possibilities, and experimenting with curiosity, you can transform the way your team operates.
Start small, implement these practices, and watch as your team grows stronger, more dynamic, and better equipped to thrive in an ever-evolving world.
Summary of structures for flexibility:
Clear and open communication channels: Increase a shared vision and speed decision-making.
Clearly identified positions and duties: Well-defined roles that cut down ambiguity, avoid duplication, and increase responsibility.
Agile methods: Teams that use agile decision-making techniques can react quickly and see opportunities. Scrum and Kanban are examples of project management frameworks that are part of the Agile methodology.
Continual education: Create possibilities for members to learn new skills they'll need in the future.
Use of virtual collaboration tools and automation. Use technology such as virtual collaboration solutions, communication platforms, project management software, glitch-free video conferencing, and productivity tools such as Time Doctor For Performance Management, Asana For Task Management, Zapier For Workflow Automation, Airtable For Database Management, Google Docs For Document Creation, Dropbox Business For Cloud Storage, Slack For Real-Time Communication, Zoom For Video Conferencing, Evernote Business For Note-taking, Scoro For Business Management.
Team Projects. Cooperation fosters creativity, increases cross-functional energy, and boosts idea generation.
