We already do it for machines: maintenance. Our car gets an annual check and often a big and small service. We have our boiler serviced; And many other examples.
There are also many examples of where we don’t apply maintenance, when actually we should. For example: Jochem’s ‘old’ racing bike. He maintains his new bike much better than his old one. The latter is mainly used in bad weather conditions (because it will get his new one dirty and that is a shame). However, this deficient maintenance caused a defect making it difficult to ride the bike properly. To solve it he had to invest time, money and frustration. During this time, the bike wasn’t used much. And to top it off, when searching for the cause he found multiple other minor defects. Those minor defects made it more difficult to find the cause of the most relevant defect, as it was not exactly clear what caused what.
In short: Maintenance is important. Always. For everything and everyone. Yet, we don’t do enough maintenance. Especially in our own personal, business and team situation. We do see a slight shift happening; people working with coaches before there is a ‘problem’. Which is great! Taking time to reflect and check whether you are doing what you like and like what you do. A personal maintenance check.
We often get called by organisations when there are problems in or with a team. Great assignments for us, yet very time, energy and money consuming for the organisation and the teams. Because the direct cause of the problem, often, isn’t easily found. Teams that aren’t functioning well lead to frustrations, annoyances, absences, decreased performance and results, increased work pressure and much more. The craze of the day strengthens this and before you know it, you are in a vicious circle.
Most companies nowadays seem to realize the importance of good cooperation and atmosphere within a team. Still, they will only invest when something is wrong.
This is a call to not treat your team like Jochem treated his old bike. Instead, ensure that team-maintenance is a part of your daily routine.
Why invest in a healthy team in advance?
- Prevention is more efficient than to curing! Just like Jochem’s bike, it cost more time to find out what is causing the most relevant issue.
- A nice work-culture has many advantages; retention of talent and taking responsibility.
- You prevent people from staying home and feeling unhappy.
- In team sessions issues surface before they become a ‘problem’.
The quicker you can respond, the quicker you can solve or even prevent it. (Jochem had to soak parts of his bike in oil for 24 hours to fix it, with proper maintenance this would take 5 minutes. See the similarity?)
- Collaborating is a strategic pillar in many organisations, so let’s facilitate collaboration for real!
Do you want to make team maintenance a new habit? Let’s have a talk!
Fresh Habits is here for you.