From Me to We: Achieving Success Through Teamwork

There’s no shortage of available leadership and team-building material that highlights the fact that we can achieve significantly more as a team than individually. Mantras like, “There's no ‘I’ in ‘team’” have been around for many years; yet, we often find ourselves constantly relearning how to transition our minds from being self-centered to being team-oriented. In the most complex situations, we recognize that combining actions to achieve common goals requires us to deprioritize individual motives and objectives. That's called, “teamwork.”?

Effective teamwork begins with the daily acknowledgement and implementation of the following affirmation:

It's no longer about what's best for me. It's about how we can come together to achieve a shared purpose.

This helps us accept the fact that our individual decisions and actions impact those around us. Accordingly, we should be encouraged to work together to achieve?goals more effectively. When we collaborate, we inherit a host of benefits that are worth exploring.

Diverse Skills and Perspectives.

I've had many conversations about how important diversity is over the years. In fact, I recently had a conversation with one of my team members who argued that quotas shouldn't exist and asserted that we should always recruit people based upon merit to find the “best fit” for the job. I agree that we need the "best fit," but it's important to note human nature causes us to recruit, connect with, and listen to those who look and/or think like us. That's why effective teamwork begins with starving our natural desire for confirmation bias or “yes men” by intentionally soliciting input from a diverse population and perspective.?

A diverse team brings together a variety of skills, experiences, and perspectives, allowing for comprehensive problem-solving and innovative solutions. One of the best examples of diverse collaboration happens during the Marine Corps’ Leadership Reaction Courses (LRC)--during which four randomly-selected individuals attempt to complete an obstacle course. I know from experience that each person can develop vastly different solutions to the same problem. We should take advantage of this because, at a minimum, we can learn how to solve complex problems by examining others' thought processes. Ideally, a great leader will be able to extract the most applicable details from each team member's thought process to develop the best solution.

Shared Responsibility.

Team members are more likely to “buy in” when the solution is a result of their conglomerated ideas. Consequently, they are more inclined to share the responsibility for tasks, ensuring that work is distributed evenly and completed efficiently. This is where “positions” and “roles” come into play.?

At a “towering” height of 5’11.75”, I was the Center on my high school basketball team. We were a run-and-gun team, so we had to remain small and maneuverable. Other teams would chuckle as I lined up to tip the ball off. Quite honestly, I would even chuckle a bit myself at the height disparity. Even so, as with other Centers, I was expected to get rebounds and keep the ball out of the middle of the court on defense. It was a tall task, but surprisingly, I did it, and our team achieved a record of 42-5, losing our last game at the state finals.?

My coach stressed the importance of every player fulfilling his responsibility. For example, had I decided that I wanted to shoot 15 threes a game and avoid the "paint" at all costs, I would have failed my team which would have inevitably led to me being replaced. I knew that I fulfilled a key role that allowed my teammates to shoot the ball with confidence–knowing I'd be in position to rebound, retain possession, and give us another opportunity to score. On defense, they knew they could go for the steal or trap the offensive player–knowing I'd be there to steal the convenient pass to the middle of the court.?

Each of us fulfilled our mutually supporting roles which led to a measurable 89% success rate and immeasurable lifelong friendships.?

Mutual Support.

Effective teamwork requires team members to fulfill mutually supporting roles. As such, these teammates provide encouragement, motivation, and assistance to each other which boosts morale and maintains momentum during challenges.?

Prior to joining the Marine Corps, I was a Computer Programmer/Analyst at Tyson Foods Inc. Though I've always enjoyed programming, fixing, and building computers, I met some immensely talented people who were much more technically inclined than I was. I immediately knew I'd have to rely on them to efficiently accomplish technical tasks; and in turn, they knew they'd have to teach me how to discuss and understand business user requirements. It was my first time learning how to be the middleman between the end user and technical subject matter expert who enables the technology for the end user. It's a mutually supportive environment in which all three parties rely on each other to move the entire company forward.?

I've witnessed how this looks when these roles aren't supportive, and it can get ugly. I've seen the subject matter expert hopelessly try to explain his project as the end user screams, “I don't care about the beeps and boops… just make it work!” Then, they both question the middleman's purpose. It's a broken system that usually doesn't lead to accomplishing goals. A great leader ensures systems like the above are fully functional by establishing and maintaining clear roles and responsibilities. This accountability increases the likelihood that team members will fulfill their mutually supporting roles.??

Accountability.

For teamwork to work, individuals must be accountable not only to themselves but to their teammates. This promotes a culture of commitment and dedication. There are many examples of team accountability in action, but I was a member of a slightly different kind of team last year. We relied on each other for success.?

I decided to grow watermelon last summer which caused me to form an unlikely alliance with a couple of bees. I knew from my research and prior experience as a child that I'd need a pollinator. The good news is I had a couple of bees that were the perfect fit for the job! The bees would be my pollinators, and in turn, they'd get the nutrients they need from the pollen. Win-win! The problem was my youngest daughter was scared of the bees and thought I should get rid of them.?

Imagine if I followed my daughter's instinct to get rid of the bees. It would have definitely been less efficient and potentially less effective to hand pollinate each flower as it formed. I held the bees accountable by monitoring and supporting them and adjusting my watering schedule to accommodate their work schedule. The bees held me accountable by charging towards me when I got in the way.?

This mutually beneficial relationship created the most efficient settings for the highest possible quality of work. It ensured both sides were successful in the end.?

Higher Quality Output.

With combined efforts, teams can produce higher quality work, drawing on the strengths of each member to produce a superior end result. That's the ultimate goal. It's the reason teamwork is consistently prioritized over individual effort in every successful business. Great leaders capitalize on the conglomeration of each team member's positive traits and skills. It makes a measurable difference–regardless of industry.?

In essence, while individual effort is valuable, the synergy created by teamwork often leads to greater success. This fosters a collaborative environment that drives achievement and continual growth.