Every truly great performer is also a team player
Starting a business can pay dividends in a variety of surprising ways – and I’m not talking about revenue here.
One of the most pleasant side benefits of creating my own brand and building a foundation of support for my business has been looking back over the contacts I have made in a career of 40-something years. From my early days in publishing through two decades in consumer insights, I have worked with so many smart and memorable people — some of whom I haven’t thought about in way too long.
And now I have a great excuse to reconnect with them!
It is wonderful to be reminded just how talented and inspiring and diverse these folks are – professionals with extraordinary skills from every part of the world, all still vivid in my memory. I am sure I learned from every one of them somehow or other.
The alchemy of teams
This all got me to thinking about the nature of teams and teamwork. Wherever I have worked, I have been part of a team – and often a series of intelocked teams whose activities were highly coordinated and interdependent (or intended to be … ).
And when you work in teams, you learn certain things about how they work, and how they affect the productivity and intelligence of you as an individual. There are definitely smart and not-so-smart ways to approach teamwork, and I feel I know a little about what that means. Here are a few observations from my modest experience.
Trust the work of others
We all have plenty of things to get done – and in a well-designed team, there should be little or no overlap between roles. But sometimes we may feel that we know better than someone else how to do something, even when it is not our job. More often than not, this reflects some kind of insecurity on our part, or maybe dissatisfaction with the role that is actually ours. The upshot, however, is likely to be wasted time and possibly growing frustration and confusion for the team.
When these urges to jump into someone else’s lane hit, take a mindful look at what is going on. If there are fundamental issues with the team, or a sense of not feeling fulfilled by your own role, address those head on, rather than breaking the org chart and causing grief for everyone.
2. Share credit generously
In a well-functioning team, there should be little or no need to worry about who is getting the spotlight at any given moment. Everyone should know that they will get the recognition they have earned, and no one should be hungering for more than their fair share of glory.
So, when the opportunities arise, share credit warmly and fully, making sure that you are more inclusive rather than less. A split second of recognition from the right person in the right context can validate months of work and set the foundation for continued shared achievement. But the moment that anyone feels ignored, or that one team member is getting credit for more than they may deserve, bad feelings will ensue and the whole system can ride off the rails. Why take that chance?
3. Don’t blame, and never make excuses
Sometimes it seems, in corporate life, as if deflecitng blame and finding people to take the heat for a given failure is some kind of science or art form. We know people who are masters at the craft – but do we respect them or ever want to work with them if we can avoid it?
Blaming and excuse making rate very high on the toxicity index when it comes to work environments – and anyone who puts you in a position where you need to throw someone else under the bus is a colleague worth avoiding at all costs. There is no end to the damage that this kind of nonsense can do to crucial work relationships – and there is no telling how much good will you build when you own up to your mistakes and tell everyone you will do better.
The dangerous thing about heroes
In US society, particularly, the legendary status of the solo-preneur has a kind of intoxicating power. We all celebrate Edison, Steve Jobs, Michael Bloomberg, and others who have stood at the top of wildly successful brands and organizations. Among other things, they were or are brilliant at building their own hero stories and marketing themselves as geniuses – and, in the process, gave their brands foundational stories that can inspire customer loyalty.
But this focus on the hero obscures the truth of achievement: That nothing complex can be created, launched, and sustained without help – usually a lot of it. So, as much as the hero story may be appealing, tread with great care in this area; it is better to sow the seeds of future, continuing success by recognizing your team than succumbing to the desire to claim all the glory yourself.
David Stanton is CEO of The Marketing Solver and a Marketing leader with over 20 years of experience. Contact him at this address.