How NASA builds a strong team: What we learned!
How NASA builds a strong team: What we learned!
As NASA works to send humans to Mars in the 2030’s, a recent study by Western University tested a group astronauts to determine the top personality traits that would be necessary for a successful Mars crew.
The findings: conscientiousness was determined to be the single most important personality trait, outpacing other traits such as honest, humility, openness, agreeableness, and extraversion.
Conscientiousness (n): the personality trait of being careful or diligent; wishing to do one's work or duty well and thoroughly.
“Conscientiousness, an individual personality trait, can be thought of as a pooled team-resource,” says Julia McMenamin, a Western psychology PhD candidate and first author of the paper published by Astrobiology. “The more conscientiousness a team is, the better they will likely be at accomplishing tasks.”
If that’s the case, should business leaders fill their teams with employees who score high in conscientiousness?
In our experience, building a high performing team is a lot like baking – the ingredients depend on what you’re trying to make, and too little or too much of one ingredient can lead to a bad outcome.
For example, a high degree of conscientiousness may be required for astronauts due to the high precision and scientific focus required in their profession. Imagine a team of salespeople who are extremely careful. Or a leader who dulls the development of their team by over-protecting them from failure.
That isn’t to say that a highly conscientious person can’t be a great salesperson or a great leader – it just requires self-awareness. It requires a deep understanding of natural strengths and weaknesses, a plan to overcome natural gaps, and a commitment to follow through on the plan.
So what steps should leaders take when considering the dynamics of their team?
- Know the make-up of your team: Personality assessments provide structure and a common language to evaluate team dynamics. There are several personality assessments on the market and each has it’s pros and cons. Consult with an experienced practitioner to understand which assessment tool is the best fit for your situation.
- Evaluate the purpose of your team: How clear is it? Do employees understand it? Are employees’ roles and personality traits aligned with your vision for the team?
- Assess the effectiveness of your team: How strong are the relationships between team members? Do team members trust each other? Diagnose key issues using a team survey.
- Implement targeted strategies to strengthen your team: With a clear understand of where your team is now and where you want it to be, create a plan to close gaps and regularly monitor progress.
If you need a jump start or assistance, send me a message and we will help you strengthen and grow your team.
