Reminding Your Teams to "Play Nice" - What to Say

"We have business goals to accomplish.*"

This is the battle cry for nearly every organization. But so much lies in that *.

If your * means you focus squarely on financial goals, that can create a swirl of stress and pressure for your teams, which cascades onto others. 

Companies often send reminders about basic policies, but how often do leaders remind people that we have to work together?

Below is an example that you can use for your teams, to 1) send the message to employees and 2) reiterate to your managers who need to ensure the words are followed in practice. This means helping teams prioritize and communicate, to avoid unnecessary conflict and stress.

Emergencies and urgent matters happen... but if everything is treated "ASAP!," your best people may go elsewhere.

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I wanted to send a reminder to everyone that we each have our own contributions to the company that counts equally. Each role depends on others, and none of us are "solopreneurs" here. It is important that we are respectful to each other, in terms of how we talk to each other and work together.

We all have deadlines and goals. But we need to recognize that others have their own, too. If you send someone an email, they may not be able to respond right away. Sending a note of "Did you get my email?" shortly after sending can create stress for someone that may have a full plate. If it's an emergency, give someone a call. But no one can operate well if everything is treated as an emergency. 

No matter what we are working on, we want to make sure it is done right. That can mean taking a few minutes to think, rather than rush to reply first. 

Lengthy email chains are rarely productive, if coordinating a call (at a time that works for everyone) will get the issue solved faster. Being respectful of others’ working schedules, their time off and priorities, will serve us all better in the long run.

I hope that is clear, but know this is a message that isn't always sent or heard. We want to remind our teams that the more we treat each other well, the better we will do, in and outside of work. 

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