Most of the time we think about a team in the sense of a sports team. Then you have the classic business professional who insists on sharing sports analogies in the workplace to inspire and motivate his or her "team." There are other teams within organizations or committees... or maybe you grew up with some hippie parents referring to your family as a team. Either way, there are plenty of people out there trying to tell us how to have a successful team and yet I have been a part of or heard about so many struggling teams we must be missing something.
I still believe the number one problem with teams is communication. We are afraid to be honest because we don't think our teammates can handle it so we are passive aggressive and/or just talk about everyone behind their back. Or if someone is honest with us, we really can't handle it because we don't trust they're being honest but are really trying to manipulate or undermine us. Ideally, a team is built around people who trust each other. People who trust each other to share their strengths and weaknesses and not have to share your problem about Suzie with Jane. I would like to believe Suzie and I can be adult enough to talk about my problem and come to an agreement without taking down the whole team with us. And by "with us" I mean separately into competing sides to battle to the bitter end.
Another common issue with teams can be leadership. Sometimes it's the "coach" or maybe the "captains"... but ineffective leaders or problems in the leadership often trickle down into the team. I've noticed the successful teams have truly bought into their leadership and would run through a brick wall if they were asked to do so. The biggest hurdle seems to be how to get a team to buy in... How do you convince a group of people to trust you and follow you? Another problem can be how to select leadership. I've been on search committees for coaches... I've voted for captains... I've interviewed for leadership positions... and the acceptance or rejection of leaders can be difficult. It becomes especially hard when people are applying for a position in which even if they don't get it, they'll have to work with or under another person who does get it. Not only do you have to reject a person, but you have to convince them to agree with your choice to the point of making the team better. Year-end awards like MVP or All-Conference can be a hard pill to swallow when you've ranked yourself higher than the award recipients. Can we really trust Billy is better than me?
Commitment is probably my third issue I think breaks down teams. It is difficult to find a team where everyone has the exact same commitment level... and when you have varying levels of commitment, people respond differently to situations and can cause headaches. I'm uber committed and go above and beyond the call of duty, but never get to play while Johnny shows up late and doesn't even look like he's trying yet he gets all the glory. If I'm truly committed, I want to be committed to the team and not just to my success. I think a key to success is surrounding yourself with people with the same or at least similar commitment levels. I don't want to play tennis with professional tennis players because I'm not as committed as them and would look silly. But I also wouldn't want to work with someone that's only halfway committed to the job because they're not going to get me what I need when I need it.
Just a thought... here's to teamwork...
I still believe the number one problem with teams is communication. We are afraid to be honest because we don't think our teammates can handle it so we are passive aggressive and/or just talk about everyone behind their back. Or if someone is honest with us, we really can't handle it because we don't trust they're being honest but are really trying to manipulate or undermine us. Ideally, a team is built around people who trust each other. People who trust each other to share their strengths and weaknesses and not have to share your problem about Suzie with Jane. I would like to believe Suzie and I can be adult enough to talk about my problem and come to an agreement without taking down the whole team with us. And by "with us" I mean separately into competing sides to battle to the bitter end.
Another common issue with teams can be leadership. Sometimes it's the "coach" or maybe the "captains"... but ineffective leaders or problems in the leadership often trickle down into the team. I've noticed the successful teams have truly bought into their leadership and would run through a brick wall if they were asked to do so. The biggest hurdle seems to be how to get a team to buy in... How do you convince a group of people to trust you and follow you? Another problem can be how to select leadership. I've been on search committees for coaches... I've voted for captains... I've interviewed for leadership positions... and the acceptance or rejection of leaders can be difficult. It becomes especially hard when people are applying for a position in which even if they don't get it, they'll have to work with or under another person who does get it. Not only do you have to reject a person, but you have to convince them to agree with your choice to the point of making the team better. Year-end awards like MVP or All-Conference can be a hard pill to swallow when you've ranked yourself higher than the award recipients. Can we really trust Billy is better than me?
Commitment is probably my third issue I think breaks down teams. It is difficult to find a team where everyone has the exact same commitment level... and when you have varying levels of commitment, people respond differently to situations and can cause headaches. I'm uber committed and go above and beyond the call of duty, but never get to play while Johnny shows up late and doesn't even look like he's trying yet he gets all the glory. If I'm truly committed, I want to be committed to the team and not just to my success. I think a key to success is surrounding yourself with people with the same or at least similar commitment levels. I don't want to play tennis with professional tennis players because I'm not as committed as them and would look silly. But I also wouldn't want to work with someone that's only halfway committed to the job because they're not going to get me what I need when I need it.
Just a thought... here's to teamwork...
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