Lie#1: Members of Great Teams Like Each Other
Nuh-uh. Since when did great teams have to like each other? Some of the best teams comprise prickly, high-achieving individuals who know how to let their energies and talents thrive in a group scenario, focus on corporate goals and drive themselves ( and others ) to it. Liking each other is a nice to have feature, but not essential. What is more important is mutual respect and acknowledging what the others bring to the equation.
Lie#2: Great Teams Have Achievable Goals
I often talk about SMART-er goals. The time- tried ” S.M.A.R.T.” acronym that stands for Specific,Measureable, Achievable, Results-based and Time-driven doesn’t create compelling goals. the big problem is with the ” A” – Achievable. No team achieved greatness by picking ‘ achievable’ goals. Great, exciting, compelling goals are always slightly unachievable
Lie #3: Performing teams’ skills come first
You can train people in hard skills. What you have a bugger of a job doing is training attitude.
In our Five ‘ C’s of great teamwork – concepts which some of you who have attended my workshops know – Commitment is described as the most critical. If you have an attitude to go and get the goal , and do everything else to get there, the job is half-done
Lie#4: Teamwork is a group skill
Here we go again. teamwork is NOT a fuzzy, feel-good, hard-to-describe skill. It boils down to individuals delivering their specific , observable competencies, and attitudes to a team goal. As researcher Dr Chris Avery puts it – Teamwork is an individual skill
Lie#5: Good teams value only team goals
Takeaway the ” WIIFM” ( What’s In It For Me ) factor from a team and you will find people drifting and being de-motivated. Why? Because everyone has a need for personal, individual reward – in tangible or intangible forms. Championing only team goals is a dim-witted leadership action that disenfranchises the team members to contribute their utmost. Find ways to keep personal reward firing up the team progress as well
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