Not All Teams Are Created Equal   

Have you ever had the opportunity of being part of a team that worked so well together, it was almost effortless to get things done and everyone seemed to be perfectly in sync with everyone else?  Working in this state of flow as a team can be magical and a true pleasure.

Unfortunately, many of us have had the opposite experience of working on teams that suffer through draining meetings and struggle to agree on any decision. This can be exhausting and even make people stop trying to collaborate with others.  These teams often miss their deadlines and are unable to produce positive outcomes.

What causes these huge differences in how teams work together?

The Secret To Effective Teamwork

At a first thought, it would seem that the more the team members approach work in the same way, the easier it is for them to collaborate.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, one of the keys to effective teamwork is ensuring that the team members solve problems differently.

Unfortunately, certain businesses need a certain type of approach and therefore fill their teams with individuals who have a similar way of operating.  For example, insurance companies tend to hire people who are highly analytical with a need to understand what happened in the past, before moving forward.   This is fine when working alone, however when the team attempts to make decisions and do projects together, the similarities cause them to get stuck and work in a type of inertia.

A Team Development Story

Georgia and Edwin ran such a business, when we started working together over three years ago.  They provide consulting services in the fast-paced healthcare arena.  They are both CPAs and are deeply analytical and risk resistant, as was everyone on their team at the time.  Almost no one on the team had the talent for innovation, adaptability or creating systematic approaches. Team collaboration was a distant dream, unattainable to them.

To rectify the situation, they added positions and individuals to bring in those talents the team was missing.  The new employees complement their existing staff, the results have improved significantly and everyone at the firm is much more energized!

How effective is your teamwork?  Is your team collaboration a joy or drag?  Call me if you want to learn more about creating a diverse team that will get things done faster and better.