A great organization requires a great team, which is not defined by its collective skill set, cumulative experience, or education. A great team just feels different. High performing teams have a “buzz” about them; you know it when you feel it.

Chemistry in the workplace has no precise, universally agreed-upon definition, but the research on it looks at mutual respect, collaboration, and the amount of collective effort expended to produce high-quality results. It requires having confidence in each other’s abilities, prioritizing the organization’s goals and interests over individual self-interest, and actively participating in the growth and success of the team.

Chemistry doesn’t necessarily entail personal friendship, but it does require trust, respect, and a willingness to support and assist one another when times get tough. Teams thrive when the people in them choose to work together.

This isn’t to say that expertise isn’t valuable. In a work environment characterized by segregated tasks and siloed performance targets, expertise holds undeniable value. However, in a collaborative setting, the importance of chemistry cannot be understated. Synthesis can’t happen without chemistry, which makes it the binding agent that ensures team cohesion. Further, cohesion then fosters a harmonious and supportive atmosphere for effective collaboration and problem-solving.

With AI advancing at a rapid pace, we will inevitably arrive at a place where the only skills that remain unique to us are “soft” ones like empathy, negotiation, relationship development, and inspiring others. It will be our human connection—our chemistry—that binds us and enables us to improve the world.

References:
Fast Company (2024, March 12) David M.M. Taffet: The Secret Ingredient to Successful Team Building is Not What You Think

We all fall into the trap of repeating the same actions over and over again, hoping for different results the next time. It’s easy to stick to familiar patterns, but real growth comes from examining our past decisions and learning from them. Ask yourself these questions to reflect on your past mistakes and make the right decision this time around.

What’s the decision I’m facing now? Clearly define the problem before jumping to a solution. A vague problem leads to an unclear path forward.

What’s stressful about this decision? Identify what’s making you anxious. Stress can cloud your judgment, pushing you to rely on habitual, biased thinking instead of exploring new options.

What past decisions can I learn from? Analyze past choices that didn’t work out. Pinpoint what went wrong and why. This helps you avoid repeating the same missteps this time around.

With 20/20 hindsight, what assumptions led to those mistakes? Look back and challenge the assumptions you made. Were you relying on shortcuts or untested beliefs?

How can I apply this learning now? Use what you’ve uncovered to inform your current decisions, shifting your behavior and thought process to get better outcomes.

We all have scores of decisions to make every day, and we often want to move quickly, telling ourselves that speed equals efficiency. But true efficiency sometimes requires slowing down, being mindful, and especially looking back at the decisions we’ve made that didn’t go as we’d hoped.

A mistake is only a mistake if we don’t learn from it. When we take the time to learn from past decisions, those past regrets and disappointments become stepping stones to a better future.

Reference:
Harvard Business Review (2024, September 25) Cheryl Strauss Einhorn: How to Learn from Your Mistakes and Make Better Decisions

Staying relevant in your career requires continuous learning, but when you’re already feeling drained, finding the energy to improve your skills can feel overwhelming. So how can you keep learning when you’re exhausted?

Start by challenging your belief that you can’t learn when you’re tired. When you’re feeling depleted, you may start to identify so much with the fatigue that you forget your agency over your thoughts and beliefs. In this condition, every exclamation of “I’m so tired,” teaches your mind to believe that it’s probably impossible to learn anything when you’re exhausted. Instead try observing your fatigue without judgment or a desire to get rid of it and get curious about what’s possible even with such constraints. Making space for the fatigue enables a more mindful response and one from which you can creatively challenge unhelpful beliefs you’ve been holding onto while in that state.

Next, focus on learning topics that solve urgent problems in your work. Instead of laboring through subjects that don’t feel urgent or pertinent to you, begin with topics that relate to existing challenges and expand on your current knowledge to gather momentum fast. This will create momentum and make the process feel more rewarding

Don’t limit yourself to formal programs. Mentorship, peer-to-peer learning, or even quick tutorials can be more effective and easier to fit into your schedule. Seek out learning opportunities that align with your personal values and goals so they feel meaningful rather than like another obligation. When you emotionally connect with what you’re learning, it’s more likely to become part of your routine.

Finally, work with your brain, not against it. Use techniques like spaced repetition (reviewing information at increasing intervals over time) and self-testing (quizzing yourself to reinforce what you’ve learned) to retain information more effectively. Break learning into small, manageable chunks and revisit them regularly to build long-term retention.

In today’s fast-paced world, continuous learning is the key to having lasting influence in your career, yet already feeling overwhelmed by your daily workload makes it hard to stay consistent. By using these strategies, you can develop a lifelong learning journey that not only elevates your skills but lifts you out of exhaustion by moving closer to your highest potential.

Reference:
Harvard Business Review (2024, September 24) Nihar Chhaya: How to Keep Learning at Work – Even When You Feel Fried