4 Team Principles you can instantly apply - one for each year with Grab
Less than a month ago, I completed my 1,500 days with Grab (that’s about 4 years & 1 month), and I‘m happy to share with you the 4 Team Principles that’s shaped from the eye-opening experiences & observations in the 4 years I’ve been here.
Having these in mind can readily help your team to be more effective and build stronger relationships, both in life & at work. This is something I’ve taught and lived through esp. with my last team (City Operations) in Grab.
As you read though this piece, I’ve also added a few favorite photos to introduce you to my Grab family… okay, so without further ado:
(The 4 Team Principles)
1. Demand for your own growth — No matter where you are, it’s never enough to just receive the opportunities and projects given to you.
Always be looking for new growth, from reading books, to signing-up for online courses or seminars, to joining contests about anything. You can be so much more, and you should allow yourself to help more people in the future by taking the time now to develop who you are and what you can achieve.
2. Care for your team & people who deserve it — Choose people over targets, because people matter more.
At the end of a review cycle, your targets are forgotten but the relationships you’ve built and kindness you’ve shown others will be remembered for a long, long time.
So please take care of your team and the people around you who deserve it (the ones who don’t abuse your kindness & the ones who genuinely care about your well-being).
3. Leverage & recognize stakeholders — They say, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Leverage other people by finding creative ways to improve the value of their work and trust them that they will meet their commitments. It’s not only the work you’re distributing, but also respect, accountability, and confidence.
Give good recognition publicly when it is due (while giving hard feedback in private). The more you recognize others, the more return to you in the form of better teamwork and more motivation to keep everyone going and overall happiness improves as a result.
4. Make new mistakes & learn from them — Another favorite quote: “Any child can make a mess, but it takes a grown-up to clean it up.”
When you make a mistake, let your team know upfront, and suggest what to do to resolve it, as well as how to avoid it in the future (this is the learn from your mistakes part). When you are honest about it, people respect your professionalism and your commitment to making things better. That counts more than pretending not to have made the mistake at all.
— Now, how can you apply these principles? —
To apply these, have an honest discussion with your team if these principles makes sense to implement & periodically reflect (every 3 months or so) whether these standards should continue to be what your team to aspire towards (if not, evolve these to better fit your team’s needs)
That’s it, thank you for reading!
(If you have reached this far, I would appreciate your encouragement to write more or share your thoughts if you have any)
