Teamwork Gems Create Startling Results
Aug 18th, 2009 by Kate Nasser
By: Baliyou
Every minute of teamwork in the 21st century requires adaptation to each other, to changing conditions, and sometimes to changing goals. The traditional definition of a team, a group of people working together toward a common goal, sounds logical, is clear — and doesn’t work. Most people participate from their own perspective and the organization gets stuck performing based on how they are organized. Sometimes leaders don’t even consider business opportunities because of the current organizational structure.
Now picture an organization using this definition of team: Talent engaged in growth and change to achieve a common success. It’s applicable to this century, is very clear — and it works.
It creates startling results when you use it with these precious gems.
BY:Skistz
RUBY. Passion for learning. When you create a learning (not training) culture, the team exercises its change muscles. Learning is change and one that most people welcome since it enhances their careers and no one can fail.
The startling result is a stream of new contributions because all are involved in continuous improvement.
Creativity increases and critical thinking improves. Athletic teams regularly exercise for improved performance and theater troupes explore new ideas for this same reason. Unfortunately teams focused on production often get locked in daily routines. Create startling new results with a learning culture.
Action Item: Pick one topic related to business, teamwork, service, sales, or technology. Have each team member Google/Bing on the topic and collate those results online. At a virtual team meeting, take 15 minutes for team members to identify aloud what info they can use and how. Make this a weekly event and watch the teams create, collaborate, and flex to changing needs.
By: ThisIsBossi
EMERALD. Leader with a confident ego. If you have a learning culture, the leader must feel confident even with constructive dissenters and creative strategic thinkers on the team. This confident leader is the emerald gem of teamwork reminding us all of The Wizard of Oz. Toward the end of the movie the curtain is drawn back to reveal there is no all-powerful wizard. He is instead a wise caring person. His insights flow from there.
By: ThisIsBossi
SAPPHIRE. Human bonding on diverse and distributed teams. The evil of isolation due to distance or differences undermines the full potential of teams. Picture world-wide technology rollout teams who have never met, come from different cultures, and rotate team members. If no bonding is addressed, the teams will fall short of full success. Use video-based virtual meetings to introduce team members. Build understanding on topics of personality type, generational differences, cultural norms, learning style, and pet peeves!
By: TambakoTheJaguar
DIAMOND. The I’s in Team. There are several I’s in teamwork – individual initiative and identity committed to the team. Respect and acknowledge individual talents contributed to the whole. It inspires greater contributions and willingness to share and teach. Some organizations call this the essential piece culture where each person knows how s/he contributes to the whole success.
Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach, delivers team building workshops, distance bonding, and innovative solutions for startling team results.
I am very excited to hear the I’s in team. Many managers and leaders believe giving individual recognition is “anti-team”. It isn’t. It spurs me on to work harder for the team.
First, I love the “new” definition of a team…it is very true and certainly does reflect the change in the ways of thinking in business
in this century.
Next, the use of gems to illustrate your points is very clever. I like
the way each one enhances the meaning of the text, and how you progress from the least to the most expensive (well, some sapphires are now considered more valuable than diamonds, but we won’t go there).
Finally, I like the way you dispell the thinking that there is no “I” in
TEAM. Everyone thinks of themselves as being a major contributor to the team (whether they really are or not), and place a lot of their self-esteem in that contribution. It is important for a leader to recognize that and the person who came up with that concept of no “I” in team didn’t know what they were talking about. It may work in the military where the concept is a necessity, but it doesn’t work in business where a person’s ego is involved.
Good job Kate,
Ric
Very clever, Kate. I agree with Ric that your usage of gems is a great way to illustrate a point. I particularly like the comparison you make on the “emerald” gem to the Wizard of Oz.
Teamwork is important in every aspect of our lives. It shows a sense of committment, fair play and enthusiasm. People tend to be creative when working in a team environment and learn things about themselves they wouldn’t have otherwise. When I was a recruiter, being a “teamplayer” was always at the top of the client’s “requirements” list. No one works in a vacuum. It’s a great feeling knowing your contribution has made a difference. Your success is the team’s success and vice versa. One of my financial clients said, “I want an employee who has a sense of ownership”. That ownership should be a shared experience.
You hit the nail right on the head with this one, Kate. Kudos to you.
Keep the gems coming!
Laura
Hi Kate
Thanks for showing me this.
This is an interesting angle on teamwork.
I think it’s very important to validate the individuals within the team. All too often, in working environments I have seen, ‘teamwork’ becomes another word for a totalitarian culture where a person’s personality, experience and values have no value.
Regarding the change aspect, I would tread with caution, because there are a great many teams which are required to conduct operations but not change them, and any changes have to go through a long and elaborate change request process before they will even be considered. On the other hand, if teams were more engaged in the manner you suggested, then the ‘front line’ workers might pay more attention to their processes and suggest improvements using the meetings as a filter before the change requests get submitted.
This might improve the quality of the change requests.
Best wishes
Liam
Hi Liam,
Thanks for commenting on my teamwork post. As for the change aspect, I wasn’t speaking of changing processes — I was speaking of team members willing to change their attitudes, interactions, etc… That is what makes teamwork work! It is the missing link. People come to a team, have a common goal, maybe even inspired to give their all — yet they don’t think of adapting to others’ personality types, listening with another listening style, understanding how they come across to others, and working on honesty w/diplomacy, and the list goes on.
Your reply pointed out that I could have made that distinction clearer and I thank you for that!
Warmest wishes,
Kate Nasser