The Unified Team

Teamwork is an unavoidable challenge that we will all be faced with at some time in our careers. We're taught teamwork from a young age, such as helping our parents pick up toys, playing sports in school, class projects and helping each other study for exams. Fast forward to adulthood an we're frequently put in scenarios that require us to team up along side various people with contrasting work styles .

"Coming together is a beginning, Keeping together is progress, Working together is success" -Henry Ford

Anyone can throw a handful of people together and call them a team, but few can bring people together and create a force infused with productivity and effectiveness. Teamwork requires all participants to work in synergy, but attaining this system is not always an easy task, and for that reason, it takes a tenacious person with devotion, to succeed. We will be going over some elemental ways to cultivate, develop and maintain a unified team.

Roles, Responsibilities and Expectations

Clarity is going to alleviate a large amount of frustration down the road, and explaining to everyone involved what their roles are and what you expect from them, is the first step to unity. When people know their role on a team you mitigate the issue of overstepping boundaries or usurping authority. Once everyone on the team knows their role you can move on to the topic of responsibilities and expectations. Be precise in what you ask your team members to do, leave limited room for misinterpretation but do allow room for creativity. Inform your team about deadlines, targets to achieve, purpose of the work and what you expect them to have accomplished, by doing this you are creating a way to hold them accountable.

“The speed of the boss is the speed of the team" - Lee Iacocca

A pat on the back goes a long way

In some work settings, individuals hear far more criticism during any given day than they do commendations. The art of positive reinforcement is all but dead, and now the new trend is kick em when their down or push them harder in order to make them stronger. Affirming words go a long way and bring out the desire in people to do better, not only does it leave your team encouraged, it also leaves them inspired to perform at a higher level. Show appreciation consistently and your team will grow in strength and unity, create a culture of positive reinforcement, out do each other in wholehearted appreciation, and treat your team like a "team" , not a group of prisoners.

The way positive reinforcement is carried out is more important than the amount.- B.F. Skinner

Listen and Encourage

When an individual on your team comes to you with an idea, it should show you they are invested, I would rather a person bring me an awful idea then no ideas at all. Be a listener that fosters and encourages your teams concepts and input. If you need to be objective, do it in a constructive way, you don't want to snuff out their genuine efforts to contribute. Each project your team works on is a new opportunity for them to grow, use each day as training, be an example and help them with their weaknesses. When a team can identify the areas they're insufficient in the potential for development is compounded.

Wear 3 hats--Coach, referee, cheerleader

Let's face it, people get discouraged when things go amok. Someone will call out sick, at least one person will always be late, computers won't work, coffee will probably be burnt or clear as water, these frustrations are typical and unavoidable. When our team experiences frustrations that are inevitable, coach them through it, not all people can handle stress and it's up to you to keep them level headed. When someone on the team goes astray, bring them back in the fold and correct them as needed. People get stressed and they do get edgy, they snap on each other and begin bickering which will kill your progress. Sometimes playing the role of referee or mediator is necessary to get everyone back on track. Finally, be the cheerleader for your team, represent them in meetings, give them accolades when in the presence of their peers, anywhere you go, they are your team, they are the ones you root for, they are your pride and joy and a reflection of who you are, always be their cheerleader.

There is no "I" in team (Cliche I know)

When you and your team are finished with whatever task you've been assigned, don't allow any one person to take all the credit. If it's a team effort, then it is a team win, I've seen leaders blame the team for failures and congratulate themselves for successes. I can say from experience, when a boss takes all the credit the team is now marginalized. If you do this you will deflate someones self image and self value, you have essential destroyed their output. If, and only if, you can recoup them after this betrayal, their efforts will be begrudgingly offered. You can never lose the trust of your team, and if you do, the team is dissolved.

Unity

Of all the basics regarding building a team, unity is the absolute most important element. Being united in thought, effort, vision, goal and purpose is paramount to the success of your team. Above all things focus on unity, without it you'll be plagued with dissension and chaos. Unity is not easily achieved and in some cases it is progressively acquired and far from immediate, don't lose sight on the value of actually being a team instead of just a group of coworkers.

These topics are just a few starting points to send you in the right direction to start building your team. Good luck to you on your journey.