The WeekdayWisdom.com Leader's Guide Series 5/27/2002

Teamwork

TEAM-SPEAK

Management has its own sort of language, and for the least few years, that language has included the phrase "self-governing teams."

Teams are nothing new -- but from what you hear from the gurus, consultants and trainers, you'd think they were just invented yesterday -- and by them, to boot!

So -- you're likely to become part of a "team." How do you best succeed?

First off, I'm very much an individual -- and yet I see the vast power of a team.

SOME EXAMPLES OF TEAMS

Let's look at some teams you might not recognize as such -- but they illustrate how powerful a team may become.

Team one: Fire departments

It's common to think of fire departments as a unified whole, but at their very core, fire departments are a group of teams, under a common leadership. Each team -- fire departments call them "stations" are comprised of individuals and resources -- people, trucks, pumpers, ladders, hoses -- all dedicated to empowering the team to accomplish their goal of putting out fires and preserving life and property.

Fire department units always work for the good of the team, because their lives depend on the team as a whole. As popularized in the tremendous movie "Backdraft," fire units have a "you go, we go" philosophy. This power is the difference between a team that can spearhead activity to protect life and liberty, and a group of individuals, who are all "doing their own thing." The power of the team approach lies in the ability of multiple individuals to act as a cohesive whole. Fire department units have the ability to call in other "teams" to help achieve their goal -- even sometimes overlapping into units in other municipalities.

Team two: Military squads

Like fire department units, military squads are also teams. They have a similar purpose in mind -- the projection of power into a situation. Their resources are different than our "fire teams," but their function is similar. Their goal is often not as obvious, but the best military squads work as a cohesive whole in order to attain their goal. Military squads are also individuals -- different people with differing abilities -- but when united, they function as if they were one.

Team three: Athletic teams

These are more obvious -- but still bear examining. Like a "team" in a business setting, athletic teams are a group of individuals, all working for a common result -- winning the game. Their goal is less important than our "team one" or "team two." Nobody will lose their life if a baseball team fails to win their game.

In our "superstar" sports mentality, too often we tend to think of the individuals, rather than the team. Michael Jordan is highlighted, not the basketball team he is playing (or not playing) with. We get so used to highlighting the celebrities that make up modern professional athletic teams, that we sometimes discount the team, in favor of the individual.

The best athletic teams work as a cohesive whole -- each person with their own place to serve, but united towards a common goal.

Team four: Physicians

I was getting my eyes checked a couple of weeks ago, and I was amazed at the assembly line in the ophthalmologist's office. First off, I saw a receptionist, then a technician, then an optometrist, than another technician, and finally, the ophthalmologist himself. By the time I finished, I had a new prescription, and a sore neck from looking around at this totally amazing office, which serves four ophthalmologists and two optometrists. I also had the most impressive eye exam I have ever received. Contrasted to my former eye doctor, whose practice consisted of himself, a receptionist/nurse, and a few patients, it was an eye-opening experience -- and not just from the chemical used to dilate my eyes.

The best physicians learn to organize teams, to serve the needs of the patient, and themselves as well. An emergency room at a hospital is a good example of this -- from triage to billing to treatment to follow-up, an emergency room is a team with a purpose.

JOINING A TEAM IS NOT A SELLOUT, BUT A METHOD OF MAGNIFYING YOUR POWER

Your business or personal life, no matter what it may be, is likely to be better served when it's part of a team -- but the likelihood is that we'll never learn to look at it in that way. Husbands, wives, children, pets are all part of a team that we call a family. Each person at a company, no matter how much a loner they may be, are still a part of that company, or department or selling unit.

Still, most of us resist becoming part of a team, because we think of ourselves as individuals. We resist giving up part of our "individuality" to engage in "group speak."

It should be obvious by now, though, that joining a team doesn't sacrifice our individual abilities -- it enhances them.

In our first team, the firefighters, each individual in that team is important -- whether it's the captain who leads the unit, the engineer who drives the engine, the "hose man" who runs the water supply, or the firefighter who, with all this backing, rushes into a burning building, hose in hand, to save the life of a child.

The individual firefighter is honored for his heroism -- but the contributions of the other members of the team are also important.

In this example, each person is contributing an important part of the whole -- and each person makes it more likely the heroic firefighter will survive.

In our second team, the leaders of a military company set the pace and the objective -- but the squad is still a group of individuals, each with individual abilities and accomplishments. One person will scout for the squad -- another will watch the ammunition; one will be the "point" person, and another cover the rear. Others will handle communications, still another may be a sharpshooter. Each member has a particular strength, and the wise leader learns to leverage off those strengths to build up the squad as a whole.

Our third example -- the only one that has "team" as part of its designation -- is itself a group of individuals. Each person has a position to play, each has a strength to lend. On a baseball team, one person may be a powerful batter, still another a skilled outfielder. Still another person may be a competent shortstop. The team uses the strengths of one player to make up for the weaknesses of another. The best athletic teams remember to act as a team -- "You Go, We Go," to use the firefighter vernacular. The worst ones never do learn that they have more power as a group of individuals than they do as individuals themselves.

WHAT IS A TEAM?

What is a team? It's a group of individuals, pulling for a common goal. Like a group of skilled builders, each subcontractor does his or her part of the work, but the group works to build up the structure, as a well-orchestrated team.

FOUR ATTRIBUTES OF A WELL-RUN TEAM

A well-run team in a business has to have characteristics common to our other examples. In order to make a team excel, we need to have four things:

1. A wise leader

Skilled Team leaders are an odd bunch. They need to be part

motivator, part instigator, part dreamer, and part accountant. They need to know when to pat someone on the back, and when to push them forcibly into the fray.

They need to have a clear understanding of what the goal is, and communicate that understanding effectively to the team. They need to follow through, fill in where needed, and yet know when to get out of the way and let the other members of the team develop.

2. A clearly defined purpose or goal

Without a goal, a team will do nothing. They will sit around talking about grievances, concerns, and problems, and eventually degrade into a name-calling match. A team needs to have a clearly-defined goal, even if that goal changes over time.

3. The resources to achieve their goal

It's altogether too common for a company to set up a team, and then starve it to death, either with too little money, too little power, or too few members. In order to function wisely and well, a team has to have resources to work with.

4. Recognition

The smart leaders will recognize the team -- if only because it makes the success of later teams more likely.

NOT A COMMITTEE

Wise leaders know that a team is not just a committee in disguise. A well-run team is a living, breathing, self-motivating group of individuals who can make a difference. Rotten teams are just re-named committees, and like most committees, they never accomplish anything important.

Teams can accomplish great things. Truly, they are more than the sum of their parts.

Copyright, 2002, by Daryl R. Gibson and WeekdayWisdom.com. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for the non-commercial use of this document as long as it retains this copyright and all lines and images remain intact. This does not allow the compilation and marketing of this material, whether for commercial or non-commercial use. Join us at http://www.WeekdayWisdom.com.

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