Every team exists on a spectrum of clarity and confusion. There are spoken rules and unspoken rules. The distance between those can be a measure of clarity versus confusion. It is the responsibility of the team leader to eliminate confusion at all costs. We all have avoided an issue because we didn’t like the consequence that would
There is a two sided coin in every team dynamic. Where does the individual stop and the team begin? How free am I to be myself and how much do I allow the team to sharpen who I am? Great teams fan the flame of personality and train the universal skills of success. We should all be
Great teammates are genuine. They don’t play the popularity game. They don’t need to be liked but they do manage to get along with everyone. When a team dynamic is dependent on the need to be liked, a transactional culture is set. That means that people must stay in everyone’s good graces in order to accomplish a
Having different strengths and weakness is not the only advantage of a diverse team. Teams that are diverse in interests help the team become more productive. Like-mindedness doesn’t mean we all have to enjoy the same things for the same reasons. What one teammate would consider as mundane another might enjoy. To assume that no one on
Being on a team allows us to partner with likeminded people and work towards common goals. Likeminded means we have some things in common that allow us to get along and work together. Likeminded does not mean that we have everything in common. I think that the best part about being on a team is how our
Effective leaders know that asking someone to do something they wouldn’t do is perfectly sound leadership. Of course leaders shouldn’t treat people like the hired help so they don’t have to get their hands dirty, but they shouldn’t assume that just because a task is aversive to them, that it is aversive to everyone. Asking a detail-oriented
Willingness is a major attribute of a great teammate. We are often taught that good leadership should never ask something of someone that they are not willing to do themselves. I think that is a tremendous cop out that sounds like wisdom. Think about how limiting that would be for a team of individuals with diverse gifts,
Leaders can struggle with the weight of responsibility for the team. Why did they choose to join this team? Why does the team go along with the vision? Would I follow someone like myself? Did all these people misplace their trust in my leadership? When these questions pop into the leader’s head, it is important to trust
While it is true that everyone on the team should bond at some level, not everyone should be expected to bond with everyone at the same level. Some personalities are going to connect easier with others. It is unreasonable to expect all relationships to be as close as other relationships. Not everyone gets along personally with everyone
Teams should bond and should want to bond. Teammates that do not personally bond to others on the team will struggle to find a fit. Humans are emotional creatures and want to be known and accepted. Bonding is the process of being known and accepted. It’s easier for a teammate to choose to belong when they feel