Building a Team

Think you can do it alone? Go ahead. To succeed at most things in life you will need some help. In my experience I have learned there are many ways to help build the team that will win the game.

If you have the luxury to select team members who have the same vision as you do and accept your leadership, go for it. Governments surround themselves with buddies. Companies often use nepotism to gain this loyalty. The only problem with that is when people are not selected for positions based on ability, the output of others may be reduced. The best situation is to be able to select qualified people to work for you.

It reminds me of one of my favourite movies, The Seven Samurai. Bandits are attacking a small Japanese village. The citizens don’t have the money to hire an army. They only can hire seven samurai to defend against over a hundred. The blend of specialized skills of each person defeats the larger group. Their differences bound together created an invincible force far stronger than their individual talents.

Sometimes you don’t have the luxury of selecting others. You come into a situation where you have to work with what you have.

One strategy is to get rid of all the people who block your progress. This is the “my way or the highway” approach. If you choose to go in this direction, you better make sure you have the power to do so. You also need to have the right people ready to step up and fill the gaps. The hope is that by getting rid of the select few, the others will fall in line.

If you were building a wall, it would be like replacing some stones and chipping away at others so they fit in.

Another way to build your wall is to use the stones you have, align them carefully and allow cement to fill in the cracks. While this is usually the most difficult method of building the team to meet your goals, it can be the most effective. You are drawing on the strengths of others. Their individuality is celebrated and encouraged. They feel empowered. Rather than knocking people down and trying to change them, you are helping them fit into the big picture.

The cement is an important part. In fact, it’s a role I love to play when I am in groups. If the members need a laugh, I provide it. If people need to get focussed, I help them. The beauty is that I don’t even have to be the leader. I can have the fun of giving a positive identity to the team while working quietly in the background.

If you look at successful sports teams, they are like this. They are individuals with some common bond and goal, not a group who are bullied into doing something a certain way. When the coach is hired, the team is already there. He has to work with what he has.

Mind you, the bottom line is that if people are working against the team goals, they have to go. If they don’t want to be part of the wall, then everyone will be happier if they go. The problem is that if there is no way to get rid of them or neutralize them, if you are the leader, you might as well leave. They will make life so miserable if things don’t go their way, but the necessary changes to make the team successful will not happen and nobody will grow.