Orchestrating Team Harmony & Cohesion {Free Training}

One night nearly 20 years ago, my wife quietly leaned in and whispered 9 words to me that changed the way I looked at teams and organizations...

I had been the CEO of this particular medical clinic for about 10 months when the annual, company sponsored Christmas Dinner party was being held. A team of employees had been working together since before summer to plan and organize the event. I had been hired in February as the clinic was struggling with significant financial challenges. There was much work to do and we had already seen some wins as a result of the changes we were making.

When my wife and I arrived at the venue we walked into the large room decorated for the Christmas holiday. There were large tables organized throughout the room, a stage in the corner for the live music to be played after dinner, and people milling about talking with each other. There were around 120 people in attendance, which included staff members and their spouses and significant others. We had been working hard since February and I, for one, was ready for a nice dinner and evening.

I immediately noticed that one entire department of our clinic had moved a number of the tables together in one corner of the room and were all sitting together, separate from the rest of the group. There were boxes of beer stacked on their tables and they had clearly separated themselves from the rest of the people at the party. It was as if they were a separate company at our party.

As my wife and I took in the scene, I will never forget what she said. She asked me:

?

“Well, what are you going to do about that?”??

I knew what was happening with that department was not my fault, but it was my responsibility to change it. I knew that if I couldn’t get everyone in the company to work together as a team that we would continue to struggle financially. We would not be able to reach the goals set out for us and that eventually many of the doctors, nurses and other staff members would leave and the company would fail.

More on that team later…

Prior to leading medical clinics, I had been the President and CEO of a privately held, very small community bank. I was hired at the bank to address the seven-article cease and desist order that had been placed on the bank from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The bank was in trouble.

One month after starting at the bank, the federal regulators showed up to conduct another audit. They wanted to see what the new CEO (me) was doing. And as you may imagine while being on the job for only thirty days, I was still accessing what was wrong and what needed to be corrected. At the same time, I had challenges in my personal life too. My father, who I was very close to, was recovering from radical lung cancer surgery and then unexpectedly succumbed to the cancer.

Sometimes, leading organizations and people can be extremely difficult. It is near impossible to do without conflict, challenges and setbacks. The path forward is seldom straight and clearly marked, and the right decisions and choices are not always made. However, when a group of likeminded people are working together towards a common goal with a common vision, success cannot be denied.

In leadership, one crucial aspect that requires our unwavering attention is the harmonious and cohesive functioning of our team. But how can you tell when your team just isn’t cohesive and are failing to collaborate as seamlessly as you desire? Certainly, a department separating itself from the rest of the company during a Christmas party is one big red flag. Other indicators are the seemingly ever-present and insidious conflicts. These conflicts, sometimes concealed and hidden from leadership, often stem from poor conflict resolution skills among team members themselves, coupled with their lackluster and ineffective communication skills. The now modern landscape of remote work, characterized by physical separation, compounds these issues and significantly contributes to a lack of trust and accountability. The end result? A cacophony of confusion regarding company goals and objectives, diminishing morale, and a constant revolving door of high-quality talent.

But there is some good news.

There is a well established path to address and remedy these challenges.

When teamwork is right, your team becomes a cohesive unit and all the pieces fall into place. Everyone is working together with their individual efforts focused on achieving a shared goal. When this happens, it’s like a masterful orchestra, where every individual note, though distinct, harmonizes together beautifully to achieve a shared, resounding crescendo. In this scenario, the team's output is more than the sum of the efforts of individual members. Key indicators of such cohesion include open, honest, and frequent communication, a vibrant atmosphere of heightened collaboration, and a strong, almost unshakeable, sense of belonging. Your organization, much like a well-conducted symphony, can create a harmonious performance, with each member playing their part.

Nonetheless, the path to team cohesion is fraught with challenges and potential pitfalls, where even experienced leaders can lose their way. These pitfalls and challenges show up in various forms, including unclear or obscured goals, the absence of written job roles or descriptions, and a lack of routine job performance assessments. Others may find themselves ensnared by the "no news is good news" mentality or an inability to recognize and address one's own issues as a leader. Still others are unaware of the need to address the different work styles and behaviors among team members or recognize the absolute need for team-building education.

To set a course and begin the process of improving teamwork, leaders start by conducting a complete and thorough audit of existing job roles and descriptions. Regardless of whether you're in a small organization that lacks formal written job descriptions or a large corporate organization with established HR protocols and procedures, ensure that everyone is clear about what is expected of them and that they are aware of and have agreed to their roles and responsibilities. The bedrock foundation of a high-performing team is the shared understanding and agreement regarding roles, responsibilities, and expectations.

Job Title: [Job Title]

Department: [Department Name]

Reports To: [Supervisor's Title or Immediate Manager]

Job Summary:

The [Job Title] will be responsible for [brief description of primary responsibilities]. This role requires [list of key skills and competencies] and will contribute to [department's objectives and overall company goals].

Key Responsibilities:

1. [Responsibility 1]: Provide a detailed description of the first key responsibility, including any relevant tasks and expectations.
2. [Responsibility 2]: Describe the second key responsibility and associated duties, as well as any desired outcomes.
3. [Responsibility 3]: Elaborate on the third primary responsibility and clarify any specific requirements or expectations.
4. [Responsibility 4]: Offer a thorough explanation of the fourth key responsibility, along with any necessary context or goals.
5. [Responsibility 5]: Detail the fifth main responsibility and clarify any related tasks or objectives.

Qualifications:

• Education: [Required or preferred educational background, such as a degree or certification]
• Experience: [Minimum years of experience in a relevant field or industry]
• Skills: [List of essential skills, such as software proficiency, communication, or leadership abilities]
• Certifications/Licenses: [If applicable, mention any required or preferred certifications or licenses]

Competencies:

1. [Competency 1]: Describe the first key competency required for this role, such as problem-solving or time management.
2. [Competency 2]: Detail the second essential competency, which might include teamwork, adaptability, or decision-making.
3. [Competency 3]: Elaborate on the third important competency for this position, such as creativity, attention to detail, or conflict resolution.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

Provide information about the physical requirements of the role (e.g., lifting, standing for long periods) and the working environment (e.g., office setting, outdoor work).

Disclaimer:

This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the responsibilities and qualifications for this position. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, and the role may evolve as the needs of the department or organization change.

In this article, we have begun a journey that explored the paramount importance of building a harmonious and cohesive team. A team where employees know and fit their roles and responsibilities, and where drama and conflict are almost non-existant. We identified common pitfalls and mistakes leaders make when working to improve their teams’ effectiveness. And we laid out the metaphor of a well-functioning orchestra to illuminate the path to success. The key to achieving a highly effective team lies in the absolute clarity of job roles and responsibilities, the fostering of consistent and clear communication, and the judicious orchestration of individual strengths and weaknesses.

Building a cohesive and harmonious team is crucial to the success of any organization. It really isn’t a choice to be made; it is an absolute necessity. By navigating through the miriade of typical leadership pitfalls and focusing on clear communication, well-defined job roles and responsibilities, and fostering an environment of trust and accountability, you can transform your team into a high-performing unit, much like a finely-tuned and harmonious orchestra.

As you move forward on this journey, it is also imperative to be proactive in addressing conflicts and reconciling differing work styles. You must provide team-building education and regularly assess the performance of your team and its members. In so doing, you will create a culture where unity and collaboration are commonplace, with everyone working together to achieve common goals - ultimately sharing the success that benefits both the individuals and the organization.

So what happened to the team that separated itself from the rest of the clinic during the Christmas party?

Nothing, that night. However, over the ensuing months, through the steps and processes discussed above, this team of people became an engaged and committed part of the overall organization.?

Sure, some people decided to leave and were replaced by others. But over time, the department experienced a significant increase in customer traffic. That resulted in increased revenue and increased customer and employee satisfaction. It grew so much that we needed to build a new, much larger clinical space for them. Which we did.

It all was a result of the strong work everyone did because they were engaged and committed, working harmoniously together.

At the following year’s Christmas dinner party did this department separate itself from the rest of the group? Of course not. They now felt like they were part of the team and they wanted to be included with everyone else.?