Part Two of our series with International Speaker and FISH! trainer Deena Ebbert talking about components of winning workplace cultures. The first was resilience. Here are her thoughts on the second—Camaraderie.
“Camaraderie is a spirit of trust, friendship and loyalty that groups need to perform effectively. In an organization, you don’t just get camaraderie by waving a magic wand. Sometimes you have to work to like other people.
“Maybe we have a story about what another person or team is doing well or not doing well. Maybe we don’t trust them because we don’t know them.
“That’s why it’s important to Be There for people, to learn about them, to find out what makes them tick, what what they are excited about creating—and then find an opportunity to share and support that purpose. Camaraderie is about building common purpose. It’s finding what you do that makes a positive difference, taking pride in it, and doing it in community.”
The Power of Camaraderie
“When we have community, we develop friendships. Someone said to me a while back, ‘The workplace is not a place for friendships.’ To which I responded, ‘How’s that working out for you?’
“Yes, the friendships we build at work may be different than our friendships outside of work. But they still have the power to make work a really rewarding experience. Studies show people who build friendships at work are much more likely to stay with the job and be engaged in their work.
“That’s why camaraderie is so important at work. We share a physical space, but when we share a common purpose, so much more is possible. You know, the word camaraderie may be a little tougher to spell, but that’s why I like it. It takes some effort, just like it takes effort to build community and teamwork.”
As told to Phil Strand / Image PROPS to Matheus Serôa
