Training can sometimes be lost on a team because the existing teammates were not trained. This precedent can sometimes create and attitude that discounts the value of training. No one ever trained them, so why should they take the time to train a new teammate? This may be true if that person is a button pusher. If
New should be exciting. It should bring joy, and it does. That exciting new source of joy can be a threat to the previous source of joy on a team. Jealousy is a very real human emotion. New people who join a team often pose a threat to those who enjoy that same period of newness. They
Training is never convenient. Great teams accept that and recognize the cost a lack of training has on future success. Taking the time to show someone the proper way to see, think and do their job saves so much time in the future. The problem is that less than great teams have difficulty taking the necessary time
Great teammates do a good job onboarding new teammates. I have seen a common practice where the value of training a teammate who is either new to the team or taking on a new task is dismissed. Too often we have unreasonable expectations for how quickly others will pick up procedures, policies, and cultural expectations. Sink or
Do each of my teammates understand how much I value them? How much I depend on them? How the team would be different if they were no longer on it? Do I take the time to be thoughtful and intentional to communicate value to my teammates regardless of the value shown to me? Is my state of
Once I have identified the needed positions on a team, I can begin to envision what kind of person would best fit that position. Skill sets, potential, personality, and maturity are things that help me choose a specific person. The biggest mistake made in recruitment is asking someone and not choosing them. There is a big difference
New positions on the team are needed when a task or certain expertise is required beyond what any current teammate can handle. While some teams stagnate by assigning those overwhelming tasks to someone who is already overwhelmed, other teams assign them to no one by making them a shared responsibility. Successful teams will simply add a position specific
When I am building a team, I usually begin to think about what positions on the team are needed to succeed. Some of these positions are obvious. There are various roles every team tends to have. There are other roles that are unique to a team and its current circumstances. By creating a novel position on the team,
Team building is very difficult and time-consuming. A common practice in team building is advertising to a mass audience the need for people to sign up for something specific. This method has a time and place when the need is for a lot of bodies joining a team quickly. However, this method will not pay off in
When I was young I loved playing football. I was aggressive and I didn’t know that would set me apart until my coach kept putting me on the offensive line. No one likes to play offensive line. I preferred linebacker and was happy to play both. Every year I was told by my coach they needed me on