Rapport in teams

Rapport in teams, lead to:

Relationships that are:  in Agreement, Purposeful, Present-full, Optimistic, Restful and Trustworthy.

Relationships: Rapport leads to relationships being built – with self, individuals in the team, the group as a whole; as opposed to an individualistic approach. Relationships imply an on-going process. Therefore rapport is an on-going process. It needs nurturing every moment, every day. There is no such thing as a ‘set’ rapport. It’s ever evolving; dynamic, never static.

Agreement: When there is rapport in relationships, it implies agreement. Agreements do not necessarily mean that all have the same view. It implies an agreement to empathise with the other’s viewpoint. It could be an agreement to put aside the ‘self’ for a moment and set about respecting diverging and differing views. 

Purposeful: Rapport in teams lead to purposeful relationships. A common destination; working towards leading to better attainment of goals. Communications which are clear; have resonance of sound bites and a sense of purpose for the team.

Present-full: Any team that has its pillars on past accolades/ relationships, or a zoom focus on future glory or goals to the exclusion of all else, will collapse. Acknowledge the past, work towards the future with clear set goals, and stay in the present. All relationships are based in the ‘now’. Past-sightedness and an over-zealous focus on future are pleasurable past-times for many, missing out on the ‘real’ experiences of the present. Relationships are built in the present leading to rapport in an on-going way.

Optimistic: Rapport in teams result in relationships that are optimistic: Of attainment of team and individual goals; Optimistic of opportunities, being able to work through individual and team differences; Optimistic of an alignment of self-identity with team and organisation identities.

Restful: Relationships that have rapport are restful. Rapport leads to fewer conflicts as it would lead to a willingness to go beyond the obvious in perceived conflicts to get to a deeper understanding of positive intentions. Needless to say, restful relationships lead to happy individuals and enables individual as well as team performance.

Trustworthy: Rapport in teams lead to relationships that have its foundations on trust. This enables an opening up of the ‘self’ in team interactions, without fear of exposing vulnerabilities. Trust enables people to perceive ‘sameness’ among individuals in a team leading to invisible and pleasurable ties that bind the team together.

Getting in sync with myself

As I was wondering over the last few days about what should be the topic of my next blog post, my mind wandered and flitted from topic to topic like a hovering butterfly. However, no words magically came to mind. Is this what’s called ‘writer’s block’, I wondered? Finally, I closed my eyes and asked my inner self to guide me. The answer I got was to get in sync with myself. What I have understood of myself the past year is that no words flow from mind to pen to paper, or in this case: from mind to keyboard to MS word, unless I tap into the deep well within me.   

A deep well within? Call it what you may – a deep well of still waters, an oasis of calmness,  the sounds of pin drop silence. Each of us may have experienced it at some point in our lives. And those of you who haven’t – try it, it’ll change your life forever.

So how do I get to this deep well within me? Two words – Just be. I don't have to 'do' anything. Its there for the taking, if I am still enough.

How do I know that I am there? Simple – it becomes a moment in time when everything fades away, leaving me aware of the silence within and the sounds without. It is that moment in time when I become empty of feelings within and become aware of feelings around.  It is that moment in time when the cacophony of voices in my head stop and the thoughts of my mind-maps become blank, leaving empty spaces for different words and mind-maps of situations around me.

And what happens when I get there – to this place within me? I become so tuned into myself that I get a sense of the immense resources that are available within me. It empowers me to be myself in a way that I want to be. I GET IN SYNC WITH MYSELF. I have seen this happen at close quarters recently, with a terminally ill patient – who would regularly go within, to tap into hidden powerful resources that helped her cope with immense pain without morphine. I marveled at it then, and I marvel at it now. And I marvel at the fact that this experience is within reach of all – if only we are 'still' enough.

What happens when I get in sync with myself? I find that I am at peace – with myself and with the world around me.  I find that I have choices to behave in a way that I choose to and not because I was constrained to by situations/ persons outside my control (much as my mind would love to apportion blame elsewhere). Having choices give me flexibility of behaviour and I assume responsibility of my actions.There comes an alignment of who I am, my behaviour and what I do. I find empowerment of self – body and spirit, and in that empowerment comes a sense of oneness and a divine alignment.  A communion with the Spirit...

Here's to a happy syncing of mind, body and spirit.