Episode 193: Designing & Elevating Teams (Leadership Development)

In this edition of The People Strategy Podcast’s Leadership Development series, Traci Austin and Adam Gruszcynski, the IT Director at Potawatomi Casino Hotel, talk about designing highly functional teams. Adam shares methods for celebrating and appreciating your team, how he navigates conflict within his team, and how leadership cultivates teamwork.

In this episode…

The highest-performing teams work together to achieve a common goal, but this synergy can become hampered when team members compartmentalize information because they fear losing their jobs. How can leaders empower and elevate their teams?

When employees withhold information from the rest of the team, they exhibit a lack of trust and a fear of conflict and collaboration. Team builder Adam Gruszcynski maintains that certain levels of conflict are healthy since they invite spirited discussions to work through issues, accelerate collaborative decision-making, and build strength within the team. Trust and accountability are the secrets to a functional team, so displaying vulnerability, appreciating each team member for their contributions, and accepting responsibility are crucial in elevating performance.

In this edition of The People Strategy Podcast’s Leadership Development series, Traci Austin and Adam Gruszcynski, the IT Director at Potawatomi Casino Hotel, talk about designing highly functional teams. Adam shares methods for celebrating and appreciating your team, how he navigates conflict within his team, and how leadership cultivates teamwork.

Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[2:13] Adam Gruszcynski talks about his IT team’s collaborative dynamics

[5:38] The roadblocks to effective goal completion within teams

[9:40] How to navigate conflict to accelerate decision-making

[14:22] The importance of team trust and accountability

[19:55] Celebrating and appreciating your team

[27:11] How leadership drives teamwork

Quotable Moments:

“I think it’s okay, and it’s healthy sometimes, for teams to have conflict and work through that conflict.”
“Doing what you say you’re going to do and showing that you can deliver holds you accountable.”
“Healthy conflict is okay.”
“Sometimes, being a leader of a team, you need to recognize skills that may not be fully developed in other team members.”
“I wanted to create a mission, vision, and goals for our team.”

Doing what you say you're going to do and showing that you can deliver holds you accountable. Share on X

Action Steps:

Cultivate a culture of healthy conflict within the team: Conflict creates a space to discuss diverse ideas openly, which is key to innovation and problem-solving.
Foster transparency and vulnerability to build trust: By sharing challenges and successes, team members develop mutual understanding and supportive relationships.
Implement consistent accountability measures across the team: Regular check-ins and clear responsibilities prevent tasks from falling through the cracks and reinforce trust.
Recognize individual and team achievements openly and creatively: Appreciation boosts morale and encourages others to aim for high standards.
Encourage team members to grow through nurturing their untapped potential: Providing opportunities for professional development enhances team capabilities and increases job satisfaction.

Adam Gruszcynski is the IT Director at Potawatomi Casino Hotel. He previously served as the venue’s Information Technology Security Manager, where he reduced cyber risk while securing team member and guest information. As a network and security expert, Adam was also a Network Administrator at Potawatomi Casino Hotel, where he supported network resources and secured IT system delivery.

Sponsor for this episode…

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