How is your team chemistry? How much fun do you have? One of the obvious measures of fun is simply laughter. When was the last time your team laughed together? Is it even allowed? Or is the team culture like a library? I am not talking about encouraging an ineffective goofiness where people do not take themselves or the team seriously. I am talking about a general playful banter that occurs between teammates who enjoy working together. A laugh is meant to be shared and great teams are not afraid to share them. 

Knowing your team will not judge you but will have your back is a vital component to any team dynamic. Sadly, many people have no frame of reference for what this feels like. Great teams don’t worry about blame or fault in a challenging moment. They rally around each other to turn the momentum back in their favor. Ordinary teams point fingers and spend valuable energy and time to distance themselves from the mistake and mistake maker. Seeing people rally around you can be a shocking experience if you’ve never experienced that culture before. There is no better team-building exercise than to overcome something together and great teams see mistakes as opportunities to do that. 

The consistency of a team over many years is a plus. Understanding how each person compliments the other only comes over extended time. Most people bounce from team to team and never get a chance to experience the synergy that develops between teammates who work together with success for years. I am not talking about tenure. I am talking about teams who risked it all over and over and came out on the other end trusting each other more than before. These teams know things without wondering. It amazes me that people so often miss the benefit of consistency for the glitter of the bigger better deal.