What Makes A Great Team?

A good team is the foundation for any high-performing business. Superficially, a thriving team looks very much like any other. However, it is what occurs unbeknown to a mere observer which separates a good team from the best team. The attitudes, the behaviors, the interactions, the language and the environment all add up to create a thriving team.

All teams, naturally, are different. All teams, too, will be fluid and evolving structures; people come and go (including team leaders); challenges or priorities change; the dynamic constantly adjusts. To that end, creating a thriving successful team is something that, as a leader, is never ‘done’ or completed.

Nevertheless, successful, thriving teams do tend to share a range of characteristics and attributes. Here are some surefire ways to build a team that will work together and produce results.

1. Desire to Learn

Have an open mind on your project and desire to learn new techniques.

2. Mutual Trust

Ability to express views and differences openly without fear of ridicule or retaliation and tolerance for others to do the same.

3. Mutual Support

Accept help from others on the team and give help without being concerned about prerogatives.

4. Communications

Ability to openly discuss and constructively react to existing problems impeding teams progress towards goals. Listen as well as talk.

5. Team Objectives

Be personally committed and work together toward the team goals.

6. Conflict Resolution

Accept conflicts as necessary and desirable. Do not suppress them or ignore them. Work them through, openly, as a team.

7. Utilization of Member Resources

Utilize individual and team abilities, knowledge, and experience fully. Accept and give advice, counsel, and support to each other while recognizing individual accountability and specialization.

8. Control Methods

Accept responsibility for keeping discussions relevant. Maintain the integrity of the team operation.

9. Organizational Environment

Respect individual differences. Do not push each other to conform to central ideas or way of thinking. Work hard. Keep the “team climate” free, open, and supportive of each other.

To have a great team, there is no surefire recipe for success. A combination of solid leadership, communication, and access to good resources contribute to productive collaboration, but it all comes down to having people who understand each other and work well together. Not every team needs that one superstar player to excel. Having the right mix of trust, ambition, and encouragement among your team members is crucial. To cultivate, share and embed these in your team is now your mission.