FireFly Facilitation

Did you know that Yellowstone National Park sits on top of a gigantic supervolcano? Molten rock simmering beneath the earth’s surface causes the park’s bubbling geysers, boiling mud pots, and hissing thermal vents. An eruption of Yellowstone’s volcano would have cataclysmic consequences on the environment, and is capable of wiping out vast stretches of North America.

Have you ever been around a “volcanic coworker”—a person prone to angry outbursts? If so, then you know the damage such a person poses to the work environment. When they erupt, they spew out toxic emotions on everyone else and cause irreparable damage to team dynamics.

How do you defuse a coworker who appears to be on the verge of a destructive eruption?

1) Give them safe outlets to vent negative feelings.

Volcanoes erupt because of the building pressure of toxic gases trapped beneath the earth’s surface. If the gases have an escape valve, then no eruption occurs.

2) Keep them away from combustible situations.

Volcanic eruptions are fueled when fresh inflows of molten rock add volume to the caldron of magma boiling under the earth’s crust. Absent of the added inflows, a volcano lacks sufficient energy to erupt.

3) Turn down their temperature by removing stressful assignments.

Volcanoes are triggered by intense heat that can liquefy rock. Reduce the hotness, and your remove the threat of an eruption.

Remember Hermey, the misfit elf from the animated Christmas classic, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer? An aspiring dentist, Hermey languishes away in Santa’s workshop, trying to make toys. Lacking the talent and desire for toymaking, poor Hermey bogs down the workshop’s finely tuned assembly line. His ineptitude catches the eye of the workshop foreman, who fusses and fumes at the young elf. Tired of being the target of his boss’s verbal barrages, Hermey quits his job and strikes out on his own.

How many Hermeys do we have in the workplace? Would-be dentists struggling to make toys? Square pegs trying in vain to jam themselves into round holes?

As a leader, you have responsibility to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the people on your team. If they are slotted in the wrong place, then getting angry at their underperformance won’t solve anything. It’s up to you to help them find a niche.

As a practical application, have your team complete a strengths inventory and personality profile. Review the results. Who appears to be positioned in the right role? Who might be misplaced?

Do you know how oysters make pearls? The process begins when a grain of sand lodges inside of an oyster’s shell. The rough, grainy exterior of the bit of sand irritates the oyster, which begins coating it with a shiny substance to smooth out the rough edges. Through time, layers of the substance build up around the irritant, and a pearl is formed. Other than easing discomfort, a pearl serves no useful purpose to the oyster.

Do you view conflict like an oyster? Something to be buried and glossed over to avoid feeling uncomfortable? If so, it’s time to reevaluate your perceptions.

Conflict is a natural and necessary part of building a healthy team environment. Deal with disagreements and resolve differences of opinion as soon as they surface. If you don’t, they’ll grow into unwelcome baggage.

Three more very doable ways to start a fire under your team today – get better results and more engagement tomorrow!

Make meetings fun, exciting, and inviting. Get team members to bring a creativity toy — interesting enough to engage your hands but not so fascinating that it’s distracting.  Use a whiteboard rather than the dreaded flipchart. Try techniques like mind-mapping (for left-brain thinkers) or brain-writing (for right-brain thinkers) to get creativity flowing. Make this team gathering the most engaging and productive time of the week.  Don’t laugh – it can happen if you really want it and make it a team priority.

Shine the light of accountability on your team. Even the most energetic, productive meeting means nothing if people don’t follow up the decisions they reach with action. As a team, create a common picture of what personal accountability looks like. Then, delegate very specific assignments to very specific people. Finally, set a date for a follow-up meeting in which everyone must report on whether they fulfilled their commitments, and if not, why not.

From time to time, escape the office for a creative excursion. In these stressful times, people need a break from their current reality to think about “what if”.  And I’m not talking about the stereotypical ropes course or fall-backwards-into-a-teammate’s-arms. I’ve led and participated in “adult field trips” to a plane manufacturing plant, a zoo, a firehouse, and a jazz jam session.  We learned how these unique teams worked together and solved problems – and then applied these lessons to our own team.  And they also help you see others on your team in a new light.

After reading this advice, you may be thinking, “Okay, all this talk of toys and trips to the zoo is fine for other companies or maybe other departments, but certainly not for my team. We’re struggling to stay alive. We just don’t have time for innovation.”

Guess what?  You’re absolutely wrong. You must make time for innovation.  Your survival depends on it.

Start small – just devote one hour of team time to a truly innovative brainstorming session. Not only are you likely to generate one or more immediately usable ideas, you will also have reengaged your people in the excitement of their work. All it takes is for one person to have a bright idea and pass it on to others—like the spark of a firefly that magically illuminates a dark night.

Here are 3 more specific things you can take action on right away to become a positive force for innovation on your team!

Deal with other, more insidious “trust busters,” too. One common behavior I see on teams that damages and limits trust is sarcasm disguised as humor.  In order to innovate, people must be able to connect with each other in a real, deeply personal way.  If one or more members (especially the leader) are constantly throwing barbs at other team members under the guise of humor, they’ll cause an erosion of trust.

Make sure quieter fireflies have a chance to glow. Certain people may naturally dominate the discussion while others tend to hang back and go with the flow.  If your big talkers are always allowed to verbally run over the quieter/less visible members of your team, the same ideas and solutions will always get implemented.  Instead, ask everyone to jot down their initial ideas in silence and then share them, round-robin style.  Ask people to speak in headlines.  Or ask everyone to “self-police” their participation levels.

As a team leader, don’t keep too tight a lid on the jar. Just as fireflies’ lights fade when they’re held captive, a leader who dominates and controls his or her team will squelch creativity.  Take deliberate steps not to do this. Don’t sit at the head of the table. Use positive reinforcement (both verbally and nonverbally). Don’t get into a prolonged conversation with only one or two other team members. Share your opinion on the topic last.