I was at a dinner party over the weekend and a few people who had worked together over 20 years ago began reminiscing. They each said that their time together was one of the best work experiences they had had to date.
They were animated and laughing this many years later as they talked about it. The positivity was still evident.
They were passionate about their cause, they had the autonomy to make decisions, they felt they were making a difference and they liked and trusted their teammates. They had fun.
This experience captures several factors that contribute to team positivity: Trust, optimism, communication, camaraderie, respect, constructive interaction and valuing diversity.
Both positivity and productivity are essential to achieving results. When high positivity combines with high productivity, almost anything is possible. Its power can be felt years later as seen from the energy of my dinner companions.
Think about your best team experience. What qualities were present that made it so? What can you learn and reinforce or inject into your current team?