Storming is Good

Another week has gone, well nearly, and this time I am surviving on 4 hours sleep, one more hour than last week but it does not seem to have made a blind bit of difference, I am still exhausted.  I can hear my bed calling me, even the plastic sheet that encompasses the mattress.  Life on ship is certainly different but I can be thankful for a bed.

This week I had my own team and they went through Tuckmans's cycle a fair few times in the space of 24 hours.  Being out of their comfort zone, seriously lacking in sleep and having worked exceptionally hard on the Monday and Tuesday, I was not surprised.  I have to say what did surprise me was the way that they dealt with it. 

Having the knowledge that teams go through a forming, storming, norming and performing stage helped them understand the dynamics of the group and why people were reacting in different ways.  And it is good to storm, to challenge team members' ideas, to question why people think a certain way and to have a disagreement, it is one of the ways a team can reach its full potential.  Asking why people are reacting in a certain way or why they think their idea is better ensures that everyone has their say and that the outcome or decision is agreed by all and no one is following blindly and not contributing.

So do not be afraid to voice your opinion and your thoughts, just make sure you structure it in the right way, just like the group I had this week on Dartmoor.  They excelled themselves.

And now I must really go to bed.