EP 85: Team Habits: Redefining Workplace Dynamics with Charlie Gilkey

The Unburdened Leader

Groups are a microcosm of life and the greater systems in which we live and work.

We learn so much about ourselves and others in groups.

They refine our leadership and communication skills. They highlight our growth edges and our capacity for conflict. And they can bring out the best - and the worst - in us, sometimes at lightning speed.

So many of us can recall frustrating and, too often, harmful experiences working in teams. Whether it’s a team member that drags everyone down without support or burdened systems, rules, and bureaucracies that stifle creativity and energy, the words “group project” bring up a lot of feelings.

What comes up when you think about your group or team experiences? And when preparing to join or lead a group or a team, what fears or concerns go through your mind?

Today, I’m excited to welcome back Charlie Gilkey to discuss his new book, Team Habits. He addresses many of the pain points and fears many of us hold when it comes to working in teams with actionable ways to make meaningful change in our team habits.

Charlie Gilkey helps people start finishing the stuff that matters. He's the founder of Productive Flourishing, author of the book Start Finishing and The Small Business Lifecycle, and host of the Productive Flourishing podcast. Before starting Productive Flourishing, Charlie worked as a Joint Force Military Logistics Coordinator while simultaneously pursuing a PhD in Philosophy. He lives with his wife, Angela, in Portland, Oregon.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How attachment to titles and structures makes us feel like we don’t have agency in our teams at work
• How work is inherently relational and why it matters how we show up for each other
• Why efforts to democratize corporate structures have to consider the emotional and social components of decision-making
• How solid team habits protect against one person dragging down the group
• The difference between the values on the floor and the values on the wall, and why we need to bring them together
• How small, mundane changes make significant impact to your team culture over time
• Why we need to be able to show up as our full selves in our teams

Learn more about Charlie Gilkey:

• Better Team Habits
• Productive Flourishing
• Twitter: @CharlieGilkey
• Instagram: @productiveflourishing
• Facebook: @ProductiveFlourishing
• Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn

Learn more about Rebecca:

• rebeccaching.com
• Work With Rebecca
• Sign up for the weekly Unburdened Leader Email

Resources:

• Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less, Leidy Klotz
• Management by objectives