What makes a great work environment

Most of us have to work, most of the time. The good news is that we can help make our work environment better.

I am very lucky to work in a team of great people, in an organisation with even more great people. And I have been thinking about what it is that makes it such a cool place to work. Most of it is a no-brainer and some even verges on cliche (to me at least - see point 5 below), but I think it helps to write it down and think about it. So here it is - the secrets of a great working environment.

1 Respect. No secret, this one, but it is so important to show respect for your colleagues: their skills, talents, knowledge, qualifications, ability, intelligence. You can do this by consulting them on issues related to their strengths - and acting on their advice and judgement.
2 Praise. Building oo #1, this one is about not just acknowledging your colleagues' strengths, but doing so publicly. It's built on a simple premise: credit where credit is due.
3 Understanding. (This one maybe should be first, because it informs the previous two.) Getting to know your colleagues - what do they like? Where did they study? What do they think is important about the work they and you do? What do they enjoy most about the work they do?
4 Fun. Having a productive workplace does not mean having a boring and tedious one - far from it. Many places of work benefit from creativity, and having room for fun is a central component in creativity. But all workplaces benefit from productivity. And having fun is a necessary part of being a member of a team. Occasional social drinks (Friday afternoon after a huge week) is perfect.
5 Teamwork. It's too obvious to even count as a tautology, but being part of a team means to act as a team and pitch in when someone is over-loaded. The team succeeds or fails together. Many a micro-manager and schemer forget this.
6 A manager as coordinator and extra pair of hands. Managing is more than delegation. And certainly more than hovering over your shoulder as you are trying to complete a task. A manager should work as well as manage. The many mistakes of bad managers include:

• Not trusting your team with the tasks you assign them
• Not tasking your team according to their strengths
• Giving unclear instructions (it happens more than you can imagine)
• Giving contradictory instructions
• Failing to acknowledge good work, or taking personal credit for the work of your team
  7 Collaborative environment. The best workplace is a collaborative one. See https://steemit.com/collaboration/@drwom/collaboration-in-the-workplace-under-used-under-rated

These are things we can work towards implementing in our own workplaces, no matter our level of responsibility.

See more of my pieces on creativity and collaboration see my steemography (Part 1) https://steemit.com/steemography/@drwom/track-your-original-content-through-the-steemography-hashtag-drwom-ograhy-1-74-days

Stay tuned for an exciting @drwom # steemofconsciousness initiative.
See also https://steemit.com/writing/@drwom/steemofconsciousness-filling-steemit-with-beatniks-and-steemniks

@drwom footer by the fabulous @ryivhnn