7 Team Building Thoughts

Success in growing your business is about collaboration and working together with others. However independent we may be, we need others to move us to the next level. These may require “think big” ideas that we just cannot achieve alone.

Working together in some sort of team/ network is becoming more and more relevant for success today.

Here are some of my thoughts about teamwork, team building and team dynamics learned over the years working with different teams:

  1. A team is a ‘group of people working towards a common purpose’. Is your purpose clear? Does everyone know the game plan, strategy and scoreboard?
  2. Teams are mostly considered natural teams. But, there are other types of teams: (Interdependent teams (rugby, soccer, cricket etc); Independent teams (chess, boxing, bowling, sales people); Self managed teams (decisions made by consensus, voting, delegating); Project Teams (usually for a period of time); Virtual Team (online, all over the world)). Are you part of a team?
  3. Teamwork starts with leadership, and appropriate management. Based on the type of team, there may be more or less management required. Nothing however will compensate for leading, inspiring and providing direction.
  4. Great team leaders win the team over ‘one at a time’. In other words, they spend one on one time with each member.
  5. Great team leaders move team players from dependence to independence within the team. That means they nurture, coach and develop both competence and character.
  6. Successful teams which are independent and well functioning may become interdependent, which is how synergy happens. Synergy is the result of interactions that make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. In other words: 1+1= 3, 5, 10 and more.
  7. Successful teams measure and analyse the team strengths and weaknesses, and make plans to improve these – linked to objectives and outputs for that team.

Successful teams produce successful organisations which produce successful customers, which means a company that is ‘built to last’. Working alone, or dependent or independent – one would not be able to make the shift to greatness.

Anil Salick

Anil Salick

Strategist, Facilitator, Coach, Writer. Shares about inspiration, leadership, critical thinking, fun, sports and current events.