Football Season is Underway. How is Your Team Gonna Do This Year?

Wherever you work or whatever you do, if it involves participation of other people, then undoubtedly, you are familiar with the term, “Teamwork”.  Without it, organizations fail.

 

Have you ever worked on or with a team where everyone felt free to share ideas, team members did their part and everyone got along?  How about the team where no one got along, every team member was busy shooting down fellow team mates, a few lazy team members did nothing, and a few loud team members dominated team meetings?  Not so fun and the level of productivity…very low.

 

I recently had a conversation with a client who shared with me his struggles with the team he manages.  “They all seem to spend a lot of time gossiping about who isn’t contributing to the team, or who doesn’t do something well. We aren’t getting any work done.”   This is not good.

 

Small and large businesses alike know that teamwork among managers and employees is important for these three very obvious reasons:

 

1. Teamwork maintains or increases employee morale
2. Teamwork helps in producing a quality product or service
3. Teamwork greatly increases customer service.

 

So what do businesses do when they realize their level of teamwork has taken a dive?

 

Basically, re-evaluate your team members and their abilities, just like a football coach would do.

 

According to Sheena Binkley, author of an article titled, “The Importance of Teamwork in the Workplace”

 

There are certain characteristics to remember when knowing the values of teamwork. The most important factor in teamwork is foundation. Knowing which position each person is within a team can help co-workers provide the work they’re strong in; that way assignments can be completed on time and without problems. Having respect for one another is also very important.

 

With every team, there is a team leader, and that leader needs to be strong.  Lauren Beyhenof, author of, “Teamwork in the Work Environment” wrote,

 

Strong team leaders are those who know how to delegate. They see what they want to have happen, and, if they’re truly attuned to the overall group dynamic, they are aware of each team mate’s strengths and weaknesses. The two greatest pitfalls of being a team leader are 1. The leader tends to overpower the rest of the group; 2. The leader “bends over backwards” as they say, to appear more like an amicable buddy than a goal-oriented leader.

 

In order to be successful, every team member needs to put forth their best effort and combine that effort with the rest of the group.  When everyone does their part the result is realized by an increase in what the team can do as a whole.

 

The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.  Vincent Lombardi