M is for Multi – building a great Team

There is a lot to building a great Team. We have broken down the TEAM into T for Trust, E for Enthusiasm, and A for Acceptance.

Let’s look at M in Team – M for Multi.

What do we mean by Multi?

Multi is not about how many people you have in your Team. It refers to any number of team members – even if you have only one team member apart from you in the Team.

Multi is about having multiple backgrounds, multiple past experiences, multiple ages, multiple approaches to a problem…

It’s about having a diverse way of thinking so that you have the environment to challenge potential solutions or proposed options.

Why you should aim at having Multi in your Team

Having team members of the same – or very similar – attitudes, ages, or experiences may feel safe or predictable, and therefore easier. However, in the long run it is not beneficial.

You want to build a Team that has an array of experiences stemming from different backgrounds, work pathways, being of different ages etc. This is how you achieve the desired favourable conditions for your Team to benefit from being Multi.

If you have an opportunity to hire a new member, be deliberate with how the team member will fit into the Multi options. Maybe a certain set of skills or experiences is missing? Make your Team puzzle positively diverse.

We must mention that Multi will not work unless you have established the notion of Acceptance in the Team (which we talked about in the previous post). Why is that? Because if the team members are not of the mindset to accept that others may have different to their approaches, your Multi will result in multiple silos. You do not ever want that to happen.

---

Building a Team that represents the Multi factor will take time, but it is absolutely worth it. Don’t fall for the easy option and have a team that is one big Same. Have a Team that is not only Multi, but also embraces and celebrates that diversity.

What’s your experience with building and having a diverse Team? What would you advice team leaders at the beginning of their leadership journey?

Feature image by Salomé Guruli on Unsplash