By: Martin Cloutier & Nathalie Carrier
Remember the first day of school and the excitement of seeing who your classmates were, meeting your teachers, and finding your homeroom? A big question loomed in your mind: “Will it be a good year?” That kind of excitement may seem like a thing of the past, but what if you experienced it again at work every fall?
The start of the new school year in September, which marks the end of summer vacation, is the perfect time to take stock, recharge your batteries, and re-establish the foundations of effective collaboration. Just like classes, teams need to reconnect, clarify ground rules, and occasionally review how they operate.
To get a fresh perspective on the group dynamic, it's important to know yourself and the others well.
Greater self-awareness for better collaboration
Just like in school, group dynamics play a key role in the workplace. Some people are more assertive, while others are more reserved. Some naturally take the lead, while others prefer to remain in the background. Some ideas flow freely, while others are harder to come by.
In fact, everyone brings their own colours to the team. Teams are a bit like a collective canvas: the better you know the shades you bring, the better you can understand how they combine with everyone else's. This is where psychometric tools can truly make a difference.
At Pixonality, we offer the ID-Personality / Colour Report, by HRID. This test, which can provide both individual and group reports, combines Marston's DiSC theory with the theory of Big Five. It's the perfect tool to fuel both individual and collective reflection. It helps you discover your “main colour” and “complementary colour,” giving you a simple and easy-to-understand means of approaching team dynamics in a nuanced and insightful way.
This test, which takes just 15 to 30 minutes to complete, produces a comprehensive, easy-to-understand report based on validated psychometric data. It is designed to help you:
- better understand your communication style and preferences at work
- identify your emotional intelligence strategies
- explore how your profile could complement those of others
With fall just around the corner, what can your team do to prepare?
Here are some ideas you can explore as a group:
- What are your team's unspoken rules?
- Have you clarified your shared objectives for the coming months?
- Do the roles and responsibilities still reflect the strengths of everyone on the team?
- Is everyone given the opportunity to express themselves, contribute, and grow?
- Is there anything that needs to be said or momentum that needs to be rebuilt?
- What behaviours foster or hinder collaboration?
Make team performance more human
Team-building activities aren't just about splitting a pizza on Friday afternoons. To truly strengthen connections, gain clarity, and start the year off on the right foot, enlisting the help of an outside expert to guide the process can be a game changer.
Just like individual personalities, a team's personality must be brought to light, understood, and cultivated. Taking the time to get to know each other better, as individuals and as a team, means investing in your colleagues' engagement and the performance of your team as a whole.
Showcase your colours this fall with Pixonality
Why not take advantage of the start of the new school year to realign your expectations, uncover blind spots, and take the bold step of looking inward as a team?
Take the time. Ask the right questions. Discover your team's personality with Pixonality and start the fall season in full colour to ensure the year ahead matches your ambitions.
For more information about ID-Personality / Colour Report and the solutions offered by Pixonality, contact us.