ACCEPTANCE

(The A inTEAM)

In theory it sounds right and easy to accept every member of your team for who and what they are.

To accommodate their uniqueness and differentness into the group. To be enriched with the abilities and perspective that they are able to bring to the table.

In practice real acceptance it is not so easy. It requires a lot of maturity on different levels to really and truly accept a person in context of his/ her back ground, personality, baggage and mannerisms.

As human beings and more so as leaders, we have a tendency to reinforce who and what we are in others. We might even misjudge a particular fresh or new viewpoint as dissidence and alien to the team, just because it is different to ours.

The stronger and more real the acceptance of each member in a team by the rest of the team is, the more dynamic and versatile that team potentially becomes.  Acceptance empowers creativity and creates energy within teams.

Real acceptance involves the willingness:

-To (try to) understand and give recognition to a person in context 
  of where he/ she come from in terms of background, culture and  tradition.
-To welcome who a person is in character and personality type. (With all the 
  intricacies that goes with it).  
-To favourably receive his/ her different, or even “strange” way of 
  looking at things, as well as the peculiar mannerisms and ways of
  expression that he/she might have.

True acceptance is more than just being mindful of a person. It is the act of welcoming, receiving and endorsing someone, to the extent of really believing in him/her.

Acceptance is never just tolerating a person, but all of the above -as well as celebrating his/ her uniqueness and role in the team!

-How accepting are you of the members of your team?