The four best team development strategies for creating a talented team
Ideally, we all want to get the right people on our teams. And while that is an important factor in strong team development, in real life, it’s not always possible. Sometimes we inherit team members with less than desirable behaviors.
That doesn’t mean a great team can’t be forged. Regardless of the people who come on board at the start, for leaders, the real work is about getting everyone focused and working together.
For the last two decades, I have studied the dynamics of successful teams in many different fields—from traditional sports teams, to military teams, to production teams and others. I’ve done so in order to understand what dynamics make for a strong, synergized workplace team. And I’ve found that regardless of the industry or the type of team, the best ones all share traits that add up to their success.
Here are the four most important strategies to build a talented, world-class team:
Focus on Succeeding:
Rather than worrying about or fearing they might fail, get the team focused on succeeding at any goal. When the team focuses on success and on finding a way to win the mindset stays positive, creates synergy, and leads to that success. This mindset is completely opposite from the teams whose members only focus on finding why something will not work. When members think like winners, they will win.
Offer to Help, and Accept Others’ Help:
Offering to help others on the team is important to developing trust. But even more important is accepting help from others! Accepting help may be the most difficult thing to do, especially in the workplace.
In today’s world, it is impossible for any one person to know everything the team is working on. Accepting help DOES NOT mean you are weak, nor does it mean you appear less professional in other team members’ view. The great Olympic athlete Wilma Rudolph said, “Regardless of what you do in life, someone else helped you.” By graciously accepting help from others on the team, trust is heightened, relationships fortified, and the team’s productivity and results skyrocket.
Encourage a “We” Mindset
When team members compete with each other rather than work together, they’re operating from a competitive mindset, where someone must win and someone else loses. Within the team, synergy is the rule, not competition. The mindset must be all about “We,” and not “I.”
Great teams recognize that no one wins alone. The tougher the task or project, the more critical the team approach becomes. Great teams recognize and capitalize on their strengths. Synergized teams constantly build and inspire each other.
Act as One Team, Not a Group of Individuals
When the “We” mindset is cultivated and a workplace team is properly synergized, it begins to think and act as one. Individual talents and strengths are utilized to their best benefit—the team as a whole is recognized for its talents. Such synergized and talented teams do not brag about their successes; rather, they accept full team credit and celebrate with each other.
Developing a great team takes work, but when members are focused on a goal, encouraged to think of positive solutions, and allowed to celebrate their success as a team, their morale can’t be diminished and their productivity will soar. That positive attitude and high morale will show not just in their performance but have a positive impact on the company and its customers.
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