How to make a Team from a team

Ok, I’ll be honest with you – I don’t have a formula, magic or not, to turn a bunch of individuals into a Team.

In fact, let’s start with what it means you have a Team – with a capital T?

What is a Team?

I like thinking about a Team in terms of an outsider’s observations. A person who is not part of the Team looks at them and thinks “I wish I was with this Team, worked with this them, spent time with, and collaborated with them, and…”.

A Team is not just a bunch of invidividuals. It’s a bunch of individuals that support each other, that have each other’s backs, that has a healthy level of competition among them, that communicate well with each other…

There is a whole heap of factors and characteristics that make a good Team.

In contrast, a team is indeed a bunch of individuals – who don’t want to be in the same room, who are working together because they were asked to, who are a temporary entity, among other aspects.

Sometimes there will be a need for a number of individuals to carry out an assignment.

So how to turn a bunch of invididuals into a Team?

What makes a Team?

I’ll share my personal method. Take a look at the word TEAM. Let’s break it down.

T – trust

E – enthusiasm

A – acceptance

M – multi

Here’s what I mean.

• Trust – when you have a good Team, the people in it trust each other. It sounds obvious. It is probably one of the hardest things to build. You can probably think about a team you were in where there was lack of trust because people did things behind others’ backs, they lied, or schemed. Create an environment where people trust each other, and the dynamics changes enormously. To me, it feels like everyone is a bit more relaxed, kinder, and supportive.
• Enthusiasm – a Team shares enthusiasm for what they do, and they are enthusiastic about each other’s achievements. Mind you – I don’t mean fake and over-the-top enthusiasm. Think of a situation where every shares what they have achieved last week – however small or big – and everyone roots for everyone. Everyone pays attention to what the other person is saying. Everyone wants the other person around them to succeed. How does this sound?
• Acceptance – a good Team accepts that everyone in it is different, and brings something different to the table. And every difference is a piece of a big puzzle that makes the Team. A good Team accepts each other’s flaws and shortcomings, and the fact that everyone has had different experiences. They understand that this is what makes them better, more resilient, and leads to more diverse ideas and solutions. No one acts like they are better than anyone else. Members of such a Team respect each other.
• Multi – I don’t mean here multiple people. A Team has a recognisable and accepted notion of being multi: multi-different backgrounds, multi-ethnicity, multi-ages, multi-approaches to a problem etc. This also means that when you are in charge of creating a creaw like this, you aim at having a ‘multi’ aspect in place. You don’t have people of the same ways of thinking, of the same background, levels of experience… You deliberately aim to have a multitude of everything that is needed.

Photo by Duy Pham on Unsplash

That is a lot to make a Team!

Yes. Yes it is. It takes time, patience, effort, resilience, and determination to get to a Team. That’s why there are so many poor teams out there. You may have been a part of these too.

But all of the effort always pays off. Building a Team is hard – so damn hard, but what you – and your Team members – get in return is invaluable. It pays countless dividends.

I’ll write about each of the aspects listed here separately, and I’m keen to hear from you how you approach creating a Team. Let me and others know in the comments please!

Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash