Is your team a DREAM team?
The 1992 USA Basketball team, AKA “The Dream Team.” Photo credit: CBS Sports
Teamwork is invaluable in the success of a mission or goal. When you really think about it, we all have supports in our jobs. No one accomplishes anything alone. We all are parts of teams – some formal, some informal – and we all should support our teams and want them to win. There are many ways to measure the success of a team, but there are also intangible/hard-to-measure qualities that make a team great. Here are 5 of those qualities to assess for a team foundation for success.
Is your team Diverse?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion drive innovation, motivation, and morale. By filling your team with people from all walks of life, from various backgrounds, and by providing a mixture of skill sets, your team is well-rounded and poised to be able to attack a goal from many different angles.
Is your team Reliable?
An unreliable team will be inconsistent in performance, and will not achieve full success. Reliable employees and team members bring peace of mind to morale and allow focus to be maintained on the mission. Engaged people who show up every day ready to work make it easy to jump right into a task, increasing productivity.
Is your team Educated?
In this sense, "educated" does not necessarily mean schooled. Academics are important, but even more important is the training provided to a team. Do you have the right tools in place for training your team? Do newer staff feel they learned what was needed before becoming independent? A solid training foundation means less mistakes and more success as employees become seasoned.
Is your team Aligned?
Even the strongest staff grouped together will not be cohesive without being aligned with not only the task or goal at hand, but also with each other. Allow your teams to have some downtime to converse or take part in fun activities. The more your team members know about each other – professionally and personally – the more invested they become in each others' success.
Is your team Motivated?
Simply meeting a goal or completing a project is not enough to motivate a team to do its best. What incentives are in place for long term success? Do you have a bonus program, or a recognition initiative for teams who perform highly? Having team-based incentives will ensure staff will work together for collective success, and not just their own. A well-motivated team will always go the extra mile, and that's a win-win for everyone.
Putting it All Together
Diversity, Reliability, Education/training, Alignment, and Motivation. Qualities that aren't always easily measured, but are crucial to cementing the foundation for a successful team. Assess your teams' capacities in these five areas, and you'll see a DREAM team bloom!
What are your experiences you've had working on great teams? What made those teams so great? What can you do to make a DREAM team?
Questions? Comments? Reach out
