Teamwork tripwires
Throughout my various careers, the dividing line between the well-oiled machine (or the well-greased cake pan) of a team working well and the crashing, clashing resentment-robot of a dysfunctional team going down in flames is a fine, delicate line that requires awareness of all on the team, but especially those in leadership roles.
Usually (usually), we all know the dangerous and unencroachable boundaries of politics and religion and such, but there are so many subtle ways to cause your team to feel unneeded abrasion. Sure, it can feel like your tiptoeing around an overly sensitive co-worker sometimes, but if it leads to a stronger sense of camaraderie amongst your crew, it just might be worth it, right?
Does someone on your team like a really terrible band? Most of us have really strong opinions on what music we like and even stronger opinions on what we can’t stand. Hypothetically speaking, let’s say that Imagine Dragons is one of the worst things that you’ve ever heard. Not terrible in an unlistenable way, but so bland and boring that you can’t understand why anyone would willing pick them to listen to in a team environment. Hypothetically. Good natured ribbing and teasing of such hypothetically awful tastes can actually be a good part of team building, but everyone should be aware of when giving a teammate a hard time becomes too much. We all have some tastes that are going to rub some the wrong way. So give the Imagine Dragons fan a break and listen to the Imagine Dragons song in silence. Let them have their moment. From time to time.
