The Foundation of a Strong Team
Wouldn’t it be great if teams just “got it”? If everyone got along, collaborated effectively, and produced flawless results?
It is possible. Yet as past experiences have likely demonstrated, it doesn’t happen automatically.
Team development is the process of unifying your people to achieve a common goal. It is a journey that involves clarifying objectives, learning to appreciate the uniqueness of each team member, discovering how you best work together, and continuously highlighting when things go right. The outcome is a team that functions brilliantly because everyone is engaged and excited about their work. Without this process, you simply have a collection of individuals. And if you’re the manager, it feels like herding cats.
So how do you develop your team?
It all starts with common purpose. This isn’t a hollow, lofty mission statement – this is the what and the why that brings your team together. Common purpose illuminates what drives your team’s culture because it shapes a group’s beliefs, values, and behaviors.
Let’s start with uncovering what you believe about your team. Fill in the blanks with your first thought:
My team exists to _____________ because ____________.
Did your answer surprise you? Was it a positive or negative statement? Or perhaps it was difficult to answer at all. No matter what your response, this is simply a starting place.
Teams are composed of more than one individual, and it is important to have everyone aligned on a common purpose. It is possible for a leader to impose this statement on their team, but it is far more effective to involve everyone in the process. Ask your team to list the things you collectively do and brainstorm the reasons behind them. Once you have this list, look for themes and come up with a statement you can all agree on.
Your common purpose may take more than one sentence to capture, but it should be succinct. You want it to be easily remembered so you can keep it at the center of everything you do. It will guide decision making, provide a basis of commonality for team members, and help everyone focus on what is most important. And because everyone was involved in naming the common purpose, getting the necessary buy-in is much simpler.
Now you have a foundation that your team can build upon.
