A co-worker told me about the success of her grandson had trying out for and making the High School Soccer Team. One of the youngest on the team, she told me how excited he was being a part of the team, making the cut out of 78 other people for the few spots available. He was looking forward to the opportunity of playing with new teammates. “We even have our first game next week!” He had told his Grandmother.
This team was brand new! The players had only been chosen a few hours prior. You might ask, how can a newly formed, young team with different personalities, new and old players being merged together with varying degrees of strength, etc. be ready to play, with the intention of winning in under a week? How does a team, newly formed or established become synergistic with one another?
To make any team succeed you need to be aligned with one another. The team needs four necessary traits in order to become synergistic and succeed: A clear team purpose, solid communication, empowerment so the team can lead themselves, and finally make sure there is a commitment to the goal.
Be clear: Goals need to be clearly defined for each person to understand how and in what role he/she will need to create and fulfill a team’s success. Understanding the team’s goals and purpose and knowing how you will achieve them is empowering.
Communicate: Communication is vital in team members so they know where the ball is and where it is going. Just as crucial for the organizational team, all need on-going communication in order to stay productive, overcome obstacles, and check progress towards targets.
Empowerment: CMOE describes empowerment as the extent to which someone provides the encouragement, tools, and authority to others enabling them to use their power, talents and skills effectively. Empowering your team to help them lead themselves creates trust and innovative behavior, in turn, a synergistic team and coaching.
Commitment: Finally, being a member of a team requires personal commitment and dedication to the overall success of a team. Once we harness the power of synergy within a team we can accomplish anything.
Working in teams and across functions can often be complex and challenging. If you’re like most teams, you have certain processes that you are supposed to follow (guidelines, operating rules, specific forms to be utilized, etc.) When attending to these, how often do you encounter a process that is broken, doesn’t work, or seems to be pointless? Maybe your organization has processes that work most of the time? The bigger question is what do you do when you encounter troubled processes? How often do you attempt to fix broken processes? Do you ever try to diagnose what could make a process more effective?
To be part of a high performing team, it is important to constantly evaluate processes to determine if they are working, effective, and worthwhile. Effective processes help us to be efficient, reliable for our customers (internal and external), and minimizes the likelihood of a problem occurring.
In 2003, a US Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 crashed at an air show in Idaho. The pilot ejected from his aircraft and aside from the crashed fighter jet, there was no other damage. As unfortunate as this story is, I think it is an excellent example of taking the opportunity to improve processes. Take a look at the video from both inside and outside the cock pit.
After investigating the crash, it was determined that the pilot had incorrectly calculated his altitude as if he were at Nellis Air Force Base (where the Thunderbirds are stationed). The investigation board looking into the crash determined that “other factors” such as the pilots need to calculate MSL (Mean Sea Level) altitude to the AGL (Above Ground Level) altitude contributed to the errors resulting in the crash.
As a result of the pilots error and “other factors,” the Air Force determined that the processes around the calculation of altitude and “Split S” exercise needed to be fixed. And fix they did. Thunderbird pilots must now call out the MSL altitude at air shows. When they execute the Split S maneuver, they must climb an additional 1,000 feet to prevent and minimize the danger of altitude miscalculation from occurring again.
While the pilot only suffered minor injuries and a $20 million aircraft was lost, an improvement in a process was gained. While we may never know the future value or full impact in improving processes, it helps take a high performing team to the next level. Call it Continuous Process Improvement.
Suggested Tip:
Next time a process, action, or project in your team doesn’t go quite as planned, don’t be complacent. You don’t have to be the team leader seeking to improve team development. Step up as a team member and ask the following questions:
What went wrong?
Why did it go wrong?
Is it a problem or one time goof?
How can we prevent this from happening again?
Maybe there is nothing needs to be done after your analysis, but at least you’ve asked the questions to be sure.
After five years separation, several former employees of a bankrupt company, which I was one of, decided to have a mini reunion. The main purpose of getting together was to find out how our coworkers survived their major life changes. We wanted to know if the others were happy in their new jobs or did they even have one? Unfortunately, some of us had had more than a couple positions in the five years following the company’s closure. We had worked together, more or less, for 20 years and we found that building relationships like we had was proving to be difficult to attain in our new positions.
What surprised me was the company’s failure was never discussed at this gathering. In fact, no one seemed to remember the difficulties we experienced, such as crews meeting production costs, budgets, or wage issues or even what drove the company to bankruptcy. What we remembered was the camaraderie and funny happenings. We talked about how coworkers were often more like family than their real relatives.
Like most families, we had our share of strange, fanatical, and outlandish people. I remember one year we had them all at once. Yet, in the center of the turmoil was a core group of individuals everyone else depended upon. It was guaranteed that these people would show up every day, ready to do their best, and answer any question that crossed their path.
What Makes an Organization Special
I guess what made the organization special in our memories was the fact that we were in it together. Whether the times were good, bad, hard, or easy, we stuck together, trying to do the best as possible for our clients. Oh yes, we had our idiosyncrasies that drove other team members crazy. Occasionally, one of us would complain as if we hated our jobs, throw a tantrum, or cause an uproar. But, we truly cared about each other and the business so we would over look the infringements. In the end, we were the ones who mourned the death of the company.
The Leadership Team
Looking back on it now, I realize that this feeling was due to our leadership team. They certainly weren’t the greatest or most objective of leaders. They didn’t always listen or communicate their wants and needs clearly. In fact, one supervisor often said about his team, “People are just no damn good.” Not that he really believed it; I think he just liked to say it. Their example set the tone for the organization. Leaders didn’t dictate but were team members, who worked hard to make a successful business. By the way, this leadership team wasn’t the cause of the bankruptcy, that’s another story. Gross negligence comes to mind.
The Lesson
The lesson here is leadership isn’t about perfection but about intention. It’s doing your best, continually trying to communicate with others, struggling to give your people the tools they need, and doing the right things (as much as possible). What holds loyalty from core team members is the loyalty given by the team leaders. Our leaders truly cared about their subordinates and the success both for each individual and the company. Yes, we were disappointed when some leaders let us down. However, collectively, the team stood for us and against outside forces intent on our failure. As such we stood with them to fight those forces as well. Sounds like a family, doesn’t it?
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
-Andrew Carnegie
Each of us is a member of a team – be it through family, sports, work, community, church, etc. Within each of these teams, there is bound to be differences in opinions. In fact, many times those differences can actually elevate the team to the next level of performance. Disagreement and diversity are natural, and they can be quite productive. How does one deal with these differences and resolve these issues? The answers to these questions are vital to making the team work and function as a unit.
How does one go about creating a win-win solution, when a team is faced with various challenges? How do team members go about defeating the challenge rather than defeating each other? How do team members develop trust so that all members in the team can win?
1. Recognize and acknowledge differences – this is, at times, difficult but extremely helpful to the team. Issues, challenges, or conflicts must be recognized and discussed. This recognition helps the team come together to find a mutually agreed upon solution or goal that will help each team member find greater commitment in working together.
2. Gain common ground – how can you put the conflict in perspective with team goals? Is everyone on the team committed to the team goals? Are there issues that could prevent the goals from being attained? If so, these matters need to be brought forward.
3. Understand different opinions – step in another’s shoes to gain their insight. This step is intended to gain insight, not necessarily to gain agreement.
4. Work to overcome the issue – differences in opinion are acceptable and even welcome! Remember, attack the issues and not the person. As a team, what is the best solution that can help the team achieve its goals? One should not have to compromise his or her values in reaching a solution.
5. Develop a plan of action – outline what each member of the team will do, and be extremely specific. This document will also serve as an accountability document.
6. Follow up – put the plan into action, follow up, and revise as needed in order to optimize performance.
“No member of a crew is praised for the rugged individuality of his rowing.”
In an effort to do a fun activity with my four year old son, I recently started a little project that captured the results of teamwork over a sustain period of time. This idea stemmed from my son asking for a pet, and me wanting to find a simple, easy, maintenance free alternative.
I reference this as a “project,” because when I helped my boy select and purchase our Ant Farm, I had an underlying motive to observe the teamwork exhibited by these insects. Ants are known for their teamwork, and used as an example in the book The Team Approach. My intent was not just simply observing them, but documenting them for others to see. Our period of observation lasted 14 days and below are a few observations of Ant teamwork in action:
Upon the ants being placed into the farm, they immediately began to work. It was clear they had a combined objective which was to find a way to the light which represents the surface. It was from the very beginning that teamwork to accomplish the task at hand is everyone’s responsibility. The mission for the ants was to dig tunnels and from minute one they all appeared committed to this goal.
When one ant gets trapped due to a tunnel collapse, a small portion of the team stops working and focuses solely on freeing the pinned individual. They value each team member and the contribution they make. These ants seemed very aware of the needs of others and willingly offered help when the pressure was on.
They have clearly defined processes of where to dig tunnels and where to remove and place the excavated waste from the tunnel. They even have a process on where to put deceased ants and ant waste. Unfortunately, all of our Ants did not survive our observation period.
They project was running 24 hours a day. Some ants sleep or rest, while others continued the work. Once they have completed an element of their mission, they move onto the next one. They work with an intensity any organizations team would want.
They work well across functions because of a shared vision to guide their actions. If ants were digging from two separate points towards each other, they were always able to meet in the middle.
There is a strong sense of community and the ants appear to be connected and unified. One of the ways ants communicate with each other is by touching each other’s Antenna. In a strong community, community, communication is openly shared and people feel safe and secure to persist through challenges.
It makes the point that even lower life forms create organizations and team with roles, structures, and processes for their leaders and members.
– Team Team Approach
See this teamwork in action for yourself and watch the video clip below. There are approximately 25 ants working together over a period of 14 day. Through time lapse you can observe these 14 day in under 1 minute.
From the beginning of this project, it was clear that Teamwork in and of itself would be required between a father and his young curious son. Aside from my boy moving the camera, moving the ant farm, turning off the computer, or turning on the lights, it was a success.
In many ways, ant colonies are similar to human organizations: they work, play, and keep pets. Although small, they are incredibly strong. Often ants will team up, two or more to drag a caterpillar that is several times their weight back to the colony. – Team Team Approach
An interesting fact: It is estimated that there are 1,666,666 ants to every one human being
The benefits to building an effective team within the workplace cannot be understated. Yet, after you laid the groundwork for a great team, maintenance is the most important factor.
No one doubts the importance of team building in an organization, but the necessity to maintain the team and continually foster an environment where it can grow is sometimes overlooked. Just like any engine in a car, in order for all the pieces to function perfectly and reliably, the integral parts must be serviced regularly. Effective coaching for your team may mean the difference between significant long-term productivity and a slow decline into obsolesce.
Effective Communication The most significant factor in any team is the ability to communicate skillfully. As a leader it is extremely important for you to be honest in evaluating the team’s communication skill. Every system naturally has a tendency to break down. This isn’t just my opinion; it is the way of all human interaction. Without consistent lubrication and preventive maintenance to keep your people performing at their best, your team will digress into a meaningless machine. The key is to think creatively when renewing team purpose and commitment.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
Remember, no matter what kind of problem your team may be facing, chances are someone else that someone has already dealt with a similar issue and has a unique way to approach it. Seek these people out with a passion; they will inspire both you and your team to excel. Standing on the shoulders of others is a critical key to transformation and forward progress of your team. You may be able to apply the previously developed method rather than the spending your valuable time on your own trial and error.
Check in Regularly
Good communication means just that – going the extra step to assure progress. Checking in with your team members means more than making sure their productivity is staying high. A teammate who is at the end of his rope when it comes to workload may seem productive; right up to the moment that he ‘breaks.’ When this happens, the personnel gap may cost you more money than if you had checked in frequently with the team member and discovered the issues before they became problems.
This post was contributed by Alisa Johnson, a guest writer, who writes about the top online business school. She welcomes your feedback at Alisa.Johnson1982 at gmail.com
When you think of a team, what comes to mind? A basketball, football or soccer team? Or simply a group of professionals working together? Have geese ever come to mind as a working team? My mother once wrote a poem about a flock of geese and simply stated, why they fly together and it reminded me of the saying, “Birds of a feather, flock together.”
Birds of a feather, flock together:
Have you e’er been walking and seen in the sky
A flock of geese flying and perhaps wondered why?
They fly in a V-shape—not in some other form
Such as small groups or large groups or straight as the norm.
No feathered brain fowl, these geese really know
How to travel efficiently where e’er they go.
The V has a purpose, aerodynamically smart,
Those birds are good buddies; each one does its part.
They’ve got a neat system that’s often been shown
To provide for hurt geese so they’re not left alone.
And although their squawking won’t make a sweet song,
They honk to encourage each other along.
There’s rarely a goose with its neck out of joint
Cuz each one gets its chance to fly at the point.
So there’s never a leader too tired to lead
For each goose is primed for its turn when there’s need.
All of the creatures live lives that can teach
Us humans some lessons! And geese surely preach
How to learn and to lead, to build up and to bond
Why geese can show teammates how they could respond
To each other like geese as they fly. Don’t you think?
We could be Team Honkers and teammates in sinc?
By Linda Pederson 3/29/94
This simple poem has some very powerful advice regarding teams and teamwork:
• Teamwork sometimes requires an individual sacrifice. Just as the geese make sure that if one of their group needs to fall back, another is with them, such should be the motto of a team. No one is left behind; in idea sharing, team building or assignments.
• There is not a universal definition of a team. Teams are made up of people, animals, sub-groups, etc. The authors of the Team Approach , Dr. Steven Stowell and Stephanie Mead also contend that there are stunning parallels of the forces of teamwork , which are observable, between nature and what we see in modern organizations. They make the case that a team’s success is everyone’s responsibility.
Next time your eyes gaze upwards at the flying V in the sky, remember…all this “teamwork stuff” is not simply for the birds.
Recently, I was leaving a local arena with my family after attending a hockey game. Our local winter weather tears our roads apart and therefore created some necessary road work to be done that was in currently in progress. Therefore, instead of two lanes leading north out of the parking lot there was only one lane and it didn’t take very long until several cars including ours were boxed in.The car in front of us was crowded with young people eager to get going. In order to get out of the parking spot and into the traffic, a girl stepped out of the car to direct traffic. She stood in front of the next car in the exit line blocking the car. An act, we often see.
However, the act infuriated the blocked car’s driver. With a smirk on drivers face and a “me first” attitude, the driver eased the car forward almost pinning the young girl between the two cars. While people in both cars were too impatient for the situation, the driver’s action was potentially dangerous. Had the driver accidentally pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake, the girl would have been badly injured if not killed. This driver’s “me first” attitude was noticed by several other drivers. In an unspoken group effort, the errant driver was deliberately boxed in for several extra minutes while others exited.
With the all the negative news on television, radio and newsprint, many people may demonstrate this “me first” mentality. We can understand their fear, as no one wants to lose their job, income, or current standard of living. Yet, this mentality harms not only harms team members and the organization, but that person’s competence and performance as well. When their intentions are to prove their personal importance, they tend to make less desirable decisions, sabotage other’s efforts, and in the end bring their fear to fruition.
As a leader you can do many things to help avert this “me first” behavior. Consider the following as you choose your course of action
Remain positive in your speech and actions. Your team will reflect your attitude; if you are positive, team members will feel more secure.
Keep communication lines open with everyone. Don’t keep secrets. Secrets have a way of being shared and peoples trust in you can be lost.
Give constant and honest feedback. Don’t lie; people recognize a lie very quickly. Lies generate fear.
Encourage innovation and creativity. Ask them to look for processes that can streamline, boost efficiency, or increase savings. Make them a part of the solution.
Impress on individuals that through team effort the organization can survive a negative environment. There is power in numbers if corrective action is taken.
Encourage employee development through training. Training increases the feeling of security (If the organization values me enough to train me, then I am important).
If you remain optimistic, the members will respond in a like manner. Your team will not continue to perform proficiently but serve as a model of teamwork to others in the organization.
Recently I related a story about a burger chain and the combined effort of 5 employees to make one 20 ounce cup of Joe. The number of people needed to fulfill the task grew as each team member added his/her expertise to the task at hand, and together the team found the direction to go. Eventually, with the help of a team approach, the task was completed. As we dig a bit deeper into the realm of Teamwork, there were 2 additional elements that I found important as I related the incident. Teamwork is not merely a “good idea” but essential in today’s fast paced, ever-changing world.
In their book, The Team Approach, Dr. Steven Stowell and Stephanie Mead give two key points on just how important teamwork is in our everyday lives – first, Teamwork is everyone’s responsibility, and second, Teamwork must have a direction- not only a solution. Teamwork is everyone’s responsibility. Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” How can we consider ourselves a member of a team and yet, watch as one of our members’ struggles without help? We have to ask ourselves are we truly a team or simply observers? As I watched (as an observer) employee #1 struggle with the task at hand, he was at a dead end within seconds of starting. The more team members who got involved in the completion of the task, the narrower the margin of error became, the less time it took to complete the task, and the lower the level of negative emotions. It is said that “Two heads are better than one” well…what about 3, 4, or 5?
Teamwork must have a purpose. This implies that each member of the team must have a clear direction as well as a solution. A goal is a great starting point, but how do you reach your goal without some sense of direction? The team I observed had a very obvious purpose: to fulfill the order of a customer. However, the direction soon became unclear when employee #1 had trouble completing the goal. As each additional member became involved, teamwork approached evolved and the pathway to the goal grew shorter. More work done in less time.
I never thought I would see the day when it would take 5 people to make one 20 ounce cup of mocha coffee, but what a learning experience it was for me. It showed me how to be a more effective team member in my own realm of work, home and civic responsibilities. As we remember that Teamwork is everyone’s responsibility and do whatever it takes to achieve a purpose, it may take 10, 20, 50 people to complete what we see as one of the most common tasks. The end result however, is to be a part of the team, not merely an observer.
Here is a question for you, “How many employees does it take to make a mocha coffee drink?” Well if you are in the business of burgers it takes an impressive 5 people to make one 20 ounce brew. As I waited my turn I witnessed firsthand and watched the scene unfold… Sometimes it takes an incredible amount of teamwork to perform even the easiest of tasks. Members of a team need to know how to listen to one another, as well as know when they have reached their own personal limit and need to bring in reinforcements.
It started out when employee #1 took the order from the customer. He paused and gingerly took a 20 ounce cup; a great start but he just stood in front of the machine. It was clear he did not quite know what to do next. Employee #2 stepped in and offered to help when she saw that employee #1 was in need of a more team based approach to the task at hand. Almost immediately you could see the distress on employee #2’s face as she realized that she also needed some help with this matter as well. In jumped employee #3 who looked as if this person was an assistant manager. Now with three employees, one taking on the role of the leader, they were able to at least grab a manual to find the instructions. This seemed to get the ball rolling…until the manual they found was outdated and did not include the instructions for the newly added menu item.
Bring in the reinforcements! The manager stepped in, ignoring the manual or lack thereof and poured in some type of chocolate mixture. When this was completed, the group took a millisecond to bathe in the success of making their (what looked like) first ever mocha at this particular establishment. Then employee #5 was brought in, who had no idea what obstacle this team had just overcome, and was given the instruction to give the 5 employee made, 20 ounce cup of joe to the awaiting customer–smile and all.
The best saying is not always, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” As stated above, productive teams have a culture of trust and accountability and must work together. This particular team leader did this by allowing his team to attempt the task at hand without his influence or intervention. However, when the task seemed to be too daunting for the 3 employees involved, he did what a leader should and working along with his team, delegated the tasks needed to find the missing pieces and complete the equation. We can all be leaders, as part of being a team is assisting a leader in the leading of others. Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and staying together is success.”
Dr. Steven Stowell and the team at CMOE define Teamwork as: A group of people who: Combine their energy and efforts to achieve common goals, are committed to achieving the team’s goals, fulfill their roles and responsibilities, and have defined processes, procedures, and mechanisms that enable them to function at peak performance.
Productive teams have a culture of trust and team members are accountable for the team’s results. The team’s leaders and each team member invest in the team through their behaviors, attitudes, and actions. Teams are the mechanism by which organizations can unlock world class results for customers, colleagues, and other stakeholders.
In this day and age of drive-thru’s, instant messaging and the World Wide Web, sooner is not only better—it is required. And in most cases, this requires some teamwork.
This team was brand new! The players had only been chosen a few hours prior. You might ask, how can a newly formed, young team with different personalities, new and old players being merged together with varying degrees of strength, etc. be ready to play, with the intention of winning in under a week? How does a team, newly formed or established become synergistic with one another?
What surprised me was the company’s failure was never discussed at this gathering. In fact, no one seemed to remember the difficulties we experienced, such as crews meeting production costs, budgets, or wage issues or even what drove the company to bankruptcy. What we remembered was the camaraderie and funny happenings. We talked about how coworkers were often more like family than their real relatives.
Each of us is a member of a team – be it through family, sports, work, community, church, etc. Within each of these teams, there is bound to be differences in opinions. In fact, many times those differences can actually elevate the team to the next level of performance. Disagreement and diversity are natural, and they can be quite productive. How does one deal with these differences and resolve these issues? The answers to these questions are vital to making the 
I reference this as a “project,” because when I helped my boy select and purchase our Ant Farm, I had an underlying motive to observe the teamwork exhibited by these insects. Ants are known for their 
The most significant factor in any team is the ability to communicate skillfully. As a leader it is extremely important for you to be honest in evaluating the team’s communication skill. Every system naturally has a tendency to break down. This isn’t just my opinion; it is the way of all human interaction. Without consistent lubrication and preventive maintenance to keep your people performing at their best, your team will digress into a meaningless machine. The key is to think creatively when renewing team purpose and commitment.
When you think of a team, what comes to mind? A basketball, football or soccer team? Or simply a group of professionals working together? Have geese ever come to mind as a working team? My mother once wrote a poem about a flock of geese and simply stated, why they fly together and it reminded me of the saying, “Birds of a feather, flock together.”
However, the act infuriated the blocked car’s driver. With a smirk on drivers face and a “me first” attitude, the driver eased the car forward almost pinning the young girl between the two cars. While people in both cars were too impatient for the situation, the driver’s action was potentially dangerous. Had the driver accidentally pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake, the girl would have been badly injured if not killed. This driver’s “me first” attitude was noticed by several other drivers. In an unspoken group effort, the errant driver was deliberately boxed in for several extra minutes while others exited.
In their book, The Team Approach, Dr. Steven Stowell and Stephanie Mead give two key points on just how important teamwork is in our everyday lives – first, Teamwork is everyone’s responsibility, and second, Teamwork must have a direction- not only a solution.
It started out when employee #1 took the order from the customer. He paused and gingerly took a 20 ounce cup; a great start but he just stood in front of the machine. It was clear he did not quite know what to do next. Employee #2 stepped in and offered to help when she saw that employee #1 was in need of a more team based approach to the task at hand. Almost immediately you could see the distress on employee #2’s face as she realized that she also needed some help with this matter as well. In jumped employee #3 who looked as if this person was an assistant manager. Now with three employees, one taking on the role of the leader, they were able to at least grab a manual to find the instructions. This seemed to get the ball rolling…until the manual they found was outdated and did not include the instructions for the newly added menu item.
