My working definition of a strong, effective team is "a diverse group of people united by trust, and by a challenge that calls for their best."
That last facet of the team, a challenge that calls for their best, is absolutely essential but often missing in a team. Without such a challenge, your "team" might simply be a group of people going through the motions.
One of the most satisfying jobs I've had was cutting survey lines for mineral exploration in northern Canada. Four or five of us would get on a Beaver or Otter aircraft, the pilot would fly us out to some unknown lake, land on the ice, dump us off and fly away. At that moment we had to become a team to survive- especially on some of those miserable 30 or 40 below camp move days!
We'd have to clear an area for the 14x16 tent, cut down straight trees for stringers, lay the floor, set up the stove, cut firewood, start a fire, build an outhouse, cut a hole in the ice for water- all before we even started the job. And had to be a team to do the job: starting a baseline in the right spot, cutting the miles of section lines, taking turns cooking dinner, keeping the fire going, and all the duties related to running a bush camp.
The bottom line was that we were absolutely forced to be a team- we had a clear compelling challenge that demanded it.
Does what you are trying to accomplish require a team? Must you and your people become a team to survive, to get the job done right? If not, shoot higher! You don't need to work in a physically hostile environment like the Canadian North to face a unifying challenge.
I recently came across the vision statement of a small town financial institution: "To be the best provider of financial services and the best place to work in the communities we serve." I thought "Wow! These folks get it!"
If you do not have a clear and compelling challenge, you will never form a strong team. In fact, you don't even need one. The presence of such a challenge is THE team building prerequisite.
Daren Wride
Corporate Team Building Keynotes and Seminars
Vancouver Team Building
Vancouver Teambuilding Speaker
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