Teams need to be built , they don’t just happen. Apple Computer has done an incredible job getting employees to commit to their culture and environment. They begin an employee’s career by telling them they now have the greatest job. Walk into an Apple Store and you see the difference a positive work environments creates.
Even in families, things like traditions and routines create the sense of team and tribe. You are related by blood, yet the knitting together of hearts is a journey.
Here are 7 tips to build the creation of a team environment:
1. Get to know the team – Teams full of strangers do not understand each other in the same way. Time and history build a repertoire which breeds trust. Have times where members share their personal stories. Encourage team members to connect socially or outside of official meetings.
2. Create Atmosphere – Consider gathering in settings that promote relationship. Meet in homes, have refreshments, or do an off site gathering regularly. Have a variety of gatherings which include both agenda driven and team driven objectives.
3. Care for one another – Your group will stay a task force or a working group, if the personal element is not included. Caring for people beyond the task is a key strategy in building together.
4. Difficulties are opportunities – Hardship will hit. We never wish for it, but we can use it to care for the individual. It gives us a chance to pray for them or rally around them. Obstacles are an opportunity to grow closer.
5 . Rejoice in victories – Just with empathy in difficulty, we want to foster celebration of financial provision, answers to prayer, holidays, and birthdays.
6. Welcome diversity – a good team is not one in which there is group think. Unity is not achieved through conformity, but rather through diversity. This brings conflict at times, but disagreements worked through produce strength in our team.
7. Avoid isolation – Don’t become exclusive. Create links to other teams and strengthen strategic relationships. The tendency of a tight-knit team is to move towards exclusivity, to protect the good thing. Resist this urge. Do not be an island, be a bridge.
The list above may seem to fit a church or social groups more than a business. Go through this list again and consider the tips in regards your work or task. Even in a corporate setting, they still are elements of a good work team. These principles can span from the marketplace to a family.
Consider the positive benefits to being linked to a tribe or family:
– There is a comfort level.
– It is a safe place.
– You are free to be yourself and exercise your uniqueness.
– A sense of belonging.
Why wouldn’t you want these traits to apart of any team?
Why wouldn’t we desire our team, group, or family to carry these qualities?
Can you think of other elements which are key to a team’s success?