
Teamwork makes the dream work. Whether you are just getting into the world of work or you are a veteran in the marketplace, we should Nino’s that almost everything you are doing will eventually hover around a team. Therefore, we all need to continue to cultivate the right knowledge and skills to unlock true team spirit.
Here are a few insights I didn’t hesitate to tell him what they told me when I came onboard the organisation – and that is to
Never Strive to take the Glory Alone.
Acknowledge the efforts of the team, even if their contribution was little to nothing. Concede it and move on; it takes nothing away from you, but gives you everything beautiful in return.
Avoid Creating In-team Cliques.
Many times, teams that are divided among themselves. In fact, there are cases where you have an informal sub-team within a team. This majorly comprises people who think they are better off than the rest of the team, or they see themselves as the eggheads and engine room of the team. This is wrong, myopic and will lead to nothing meaningful.
Strive for Clarity in Communication.
Building hands-on collaborative work around a project, activity or assignment requires that everyone is on the same page. Do your best to ensure you seek to understand the goals, the different roles, processes and people on the team. Also, ensure you communicate with team members with utmost clarity.
Be Focused and be Flexible
It is important to know that the goal is more important than your role on the team. Stay focused on achieving the team’s goal even if your role changes. One quick way to disintegrate the team is when you are fixated on your role.
Employ Empathy
For an effective collaborative work to flourish, team members should seek to understand the strengths and areas of improvement of each other. This will enable everyone consolidate on the strength of each other and assist each other with areas of improvement.
This doesn’t always turn out to be easy, because many people are prone to see the shortcomings in others. However, if team members can see the strong and engaging side of other team members and focus more on it, then it will create room for more success.
Foster A Suitable Environment
Creating an enabling environment is the responsibility of everyone on the team. Collaboration cannot thrive in the midst of chaos. An enabling environment supports innovation, growth and magic happens.
And so, every platform or project seeking to have a strong sense of synergy among the team members needs to intentionally create a suitable space and atmosphere for such to thrive.
Have Clearly Defined Roles
In addition to working in a suitable environment that fosters collaborative work, there is also the need to build a system where every team member has clearly defined roles.
This doesn’t mean that at some point, other team members cannot take on other roles. It just goes to explain that roles give structure, and structure enables work synergy to grow.
Accept Responsibility
We live in a world where people talk a lot about rights with little or no attention to accepting responsibilities. Often, people finger-point and play the blame game.
To unlock team spirit, team members must be willing and mature enough to accept gains and losses.
Of course, nobody feels gleeful after losing. But then again, it is through failure that invaluable lessons are gleaned. And through gains, strategies of what worked are documented, rinsed and repeated.