How can you really get to know your team?

Have you ever had a personality conflict with someone on your team? Maybe you've found yourself banging your head against the wall because of one little thing they do or don't do that drives you nuts? 

The problem is they don't see a conflict and they don't have the self-awareness to work through it... And maybe you don't either. 

Looking back on my chamber career, I can now see where I may have been frustrating some of my teammates because of my own lack of self awareness at the time. For example, when my CEO would ask me to lead a project, I had to work on it in my own time. I had no questions and I gave no updates and preferred to rely on no-one else to play a role. And before I started a big project I had to do a whole bunch of meaningless little projects before I could start the big one. Turns out, it's just how I'm wired. 

You can always tell when I'm about start something new because I clean out my email, I clean my house, I clean my garage and I start fixing something that could have waited until next year. Others view it as procrastinating but for me, I'm making space for what's next. 

To better get to know your team and work better as a team, there are three steps: 

1. Raise your own self-awareness. Meyers-Briggs, Love Languages, Enneagram, therapy, et cetera.

2. Help your teammates raise their self-awareness. Share your personality test results with others in a friendly, supportive environment.

3. Work better together by working with each others quirks instead of against them.