Teamwork

Teamwork makes the dream work. It’s a fun phrase we’ve all heard before. What does it mean? I believe there are layers of meaning under those 5 simply words that I want to spend a few posts writing about.

George Barna said, 

“A team always outperforms an individual. The more you are able to bring together leaders whose skills and training build upon what the others bring, the greater the ultimate outcome of their cooperative effort.”

There is value in building a solid team. As I mentioned, I am going to take my next few blog entries to write about the value of a common vision, community, roles, tools, communication, cooperation, commitment (man, that’s a lot of C’s) and motives. There is a lot that goes into developing a strong, cohesive and fully engaged team.

First is vision. While speaking to my son the other day, he called vision a “churchy” term. That surprised me, and while I understand the context and circumstances in his own life that brought him to that conclusion, vision is far from a “churchy” term. Vision is intended to be a unifier, regardless of the setting in which it is used. Think about it in terms of sports teams – the recent championships by the Golden State Warriors or the Pittsburg Penguins. A bunch of guys, focused – laser focused – on one goal, one vision. Neither was an individual win, it took teamwork. Without teamwork, we place a lid on the capacity of the team, the organization, the department or whatever context applies to you. It’s vision that directs the teams’ energy, effort and focus toward a single goal that matters most.

Vision also represents a better tomorrow that you can see in your mind’s eye today. One of my favorite leaders, Andy Stanley said,

“Too many times the routines of life begin to feel like shoveling dirt. But take those same routines, those same responsibilities, and view them through the lens of vision and everything looks different. Vision brings your world into focus. Vision brings order to chaos. A clear vision enables you to see everything differently.”

A key to building a strong team is to ensure the vision is clear and shared. A clear vision brings understanding. A shared vision brings buy-in. Both are critical. Vision is the compelling why that motivates what we do. In practical terms, we need to be able to apply value to what we do. What I do for a living as an IT professional may seem as far away from value as you can get. Delivering technology, can help organizations be more profitable by increasing revenue or decreasing cost. These are valuable business components, but they don’t instill what most would consider a motivation or a sense of value. However, if you think about my job this way – while all the above is true, the unique value that can be applied is that it creates opportunity for more people to be gainfully employed and pursue the American dream. I work for a staffing company that helps people find jobs. Looking at my work and considering how it impacts thousands of lives in a positive way is indeed motivating. When I can attach that kind of value to what is being done and cast that vision to others, it can become a motivating factor that allows us to unify our workforce.

It doesn’t matter if you are the CEO, work in accounting or are the maintenance supervisor – casting vision effectively will connect your role in the organization with the common purpose for the organization to exist. We all play a part, we all get to participate in a common vision that should be both compelling and worthy.

Start small. Start with your own team – create an atmosphere that is positive and encouraging. Then, sit back and watch others notice your positive nature and adopt your vision.