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.