[VIDEO] Silver Bullets for Today's Leaders - #7 - The Seven Cornerstones of Teamwork
Video Transcript:
I often feel that people don’t really know what great teamwork is. I think they understand it intuitively, and there are plenty of books, articles, and messaging about it, but it’s not always clear. In my mind, it should be clear. For example, within an organization, if the accounting department says we need to fill out expense reports, there’s a standard we must follow for completing those reports. We do them to standard. I believe we should also have a standard for a world-class team.
So, what makes up that standard? What actually defines a great team? I believe there are seven components. If a team were to self-assess regularly against each of these seven and work to improve any areas where they felt they fell short, they would, over time, truly become world-class. Here are the seven:
Every team needs a leader—so, do we have a leader?
Clear communication—is there clear communication among the team? It’s not about whether the leader thinks communication is clear, but whether each team member feels it is.
Shared goal—do we share a common goal? If everyone were asked to write down the team’s goal, they should all write the same thing. We need to ensure everyone is aligned on the goal.
Shared resources—there are resources to share, sometimes practical ones like money, space, and materials. But there are also others just as crucial, like ideas, innovation, and enthusiastic encouragement. These are things each team member can contribute.
Subgroups defined within the team—when subgroups form, is it clear that each subgroup is a team with its own leader, following these same seven principles?
Enthusiasm—we need everyone on the team to be enthusiastic about what we’re doing. Without that, they can become a drag on the team.
Ego balance—we need balanced egos. Sometimes a person’s ego is overblown, and they dominate too much; other times, they’re too passive, holding back. We need a balance so that everyone contributes meaningfully.
These seven elements summarize the standard for a world-class team. If a team regularly assesses their collective performance against these seven and takes action on any weak areas, they will ultimately meet the standard and perform at a world-class level.
