Eight Ways to Have a Great Team

Having a great team and team culture doesn’t just happen.  It takes hard work.  There are many things we can do to strengthen our team’s culture, but here are eight that I believe have the largest positive impact:

Have a Compelling Purpose.  If you are just meeting to meet people will simply not make your gathering/group/team a priority.  Most people have lots of things going on in their lives and they make decisions on what they are going to do based on what they perceive has the most value for them.  If you want a great team, with people who are actively engaged, then make sure they understand why you exist.  What is your team’s compelling purpose

Give Away Leadership. Great teams invite people to step up and lead.  They assist, train and coach, but ultimately, they empower and trust their team to get the job done.  If you want a great team, share the vision, provide the tools and then get out of the way and let people lead. In what way(s) do you give away leadership to those on your team?

Provide Structure without Red Tape.  Great teams have structure and accountability.  It’s the structure that allows things to get done in an orderly way. However, great teams know that too much structure slows things down and becomes burdensome.   If you want a great team, provide policies and procedures but not red tape. How does your leadership provide needed structure?

Be Okay with a Little Chaos.  Great teams are full of passionate people, and passionate people jump right in without being asked, which sometimes leads to a little chaos.  Great teams are okay with that chaos, as it is certainly better than a bunch people needing to be forced to get off their backside to do the job.  If you want a great team be okay with people showing initiative even when it means things get a little messy.  How do you feel about a little chaos/mess?

Be Okay with Differences.  Great teams believe that diversity is strength.  They realize that when they face a difficult problem, often the best solution comes from thinking creatively, outside the box, and from merging various ideas together.  The know that the collective wisdom of everyone is greater than the wisdom of any one person.  If you want a great team, get everyone to bring their distinct background and perspective to the table. How often do you rely on the differences of various people on your team? 

Do Not Tolerate Non-Growth.  Whether formally through conferences and seminars or informally through on-the-job training and conversations, great teams provide their team members opportunities to grow.  In fact, great teams do not tolerate team members not growing.  They realize that who they are today will likely not be enough for them to face the challenges they will encounter tomorrow, so they are obsessed with personal and team growth.  If you want a great team, provide training and enrichment opportunities for everyone and don’t tolerate non-growing team members. How do you provide opportunities for personal and team growth?

Strengthen Relationships.  Great teams don’t always perfectly get along, but they have strong relationships.  The face challenges, work through problems, and celebrate achievements together.  They forge bonds over time.  They have each other’s backs.   If you want a great team, make sure to focus on people forging great relationships. What are some ways you focus on strengthening relationships?

Get Results.  People want to be a part of something that is moving forward.  The results don’t necessarily need to be out of this world great, but people don’t want to be on a sinking ship.  Great teams don’t just have a vision, but they are also constantly talking about how that vision is being carried out.  If you want a great team, make sure you are regularly demonstrating how the team is winning. How have you shared your teams’ victories recently?

(Adapted from Extraordinary Groups: How Ordinary Teams Achieve Amazing Results by Geoffrey M. Bellman)

Posted on
Category: Uncategorized

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

Leave a Reply to Terrence723 Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

288 thoughts on “Eight Ways to Have a Great Team”

  17. My programmer is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on numerous websites for about a year and am worried about switching to another platform. I have heard excellent things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress posts into it? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply

  24. Thanks for your submission. I would also love to comment that the very first thing you will need to conduct is find out if you really need credit restoration. To do that you will need to get your hands on a replica of your credit rating. That should never be difficult, ever since the government necessitates that you are allowed to obtain one absolutely free copy of your real credit report per year. You just have to ask the right people. You can either find out from the website for that Federal Trade Commission and also contact one of the major credit agencies instantly.

    Reply

  28. Hi there, just become aware of your blog thru Google, and found that it’s truly informative. I?m going to watch out for brussels. I?ll appreciate if you continue this in future. Lots of people might be benefited from your writing. Cheers!

    Reply

  29. I’m in awe of the author’s talent to make complex concepts approachable to readers of all backgrounds. This article is a testament to his expertise and passion to providing useful insights. Thank you, author, for creating such an compelling and illuminating piece. It has been an incredible joy to read!

    Reply

  31. Hmm it appears like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any tips for first-time blog writers? I’d certainly appreciate it.

    Reply

  32. This article is a breath of fresh air! The author’s unique perspective and thoughtful analysis have made this a truly captivating read. I’m appreciative for the effort he has put into producing such an educational and thought-provoking piece. Thank you, author, for offering your knowledge and sparking meaningful discussions through your outstanding writing!

    Reply

  34. Thanks for your post. Another thing is that being a photographer consists of not only difficulty in capturing award-winning photographs but also hardships in acquiring the best video camera suited to your needs and most especially issues in maintaining the grade of your camera. This is certainly very accurate and evident for those photography enthusiasts that are in capturing the particular nature’s engaging scenes : the mountains, the actual forests, the particular wild or seas. Visiting these exciting places undoubtedly requires a camera that can surpass the wild’s unpleasant landscapes.

    Reply

  35. Hello would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using? I’m going to start my own blog soon but I’m having a tough time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something completely unique. P.S Sorry for getting off-topic but I had to ask!

    Reply

  36. I’m in awe of the author’s ability to make complicated concepts approachable to readers of all backgrounds. This article is a testament to his expertise and passion to providing useful insights. Thank you, author, for creating such an captivating and illuminating piece. It has been an incredible joy to read!

    Reply

  38. Good day! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I genuinely enjoy reading your blog posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same subjects? Thanks a ton!

    Reply