When you compare highly functioning teams (families) they are typically doing the same things well. Those that are dysfunctional andusually lesssuccessful over time are almost always dysfunctional in their own, unique way. A true team is healthy which meansthat there are minimal politics and confusion, high degrees of morale and productivity, and very low turnover among good employees. I have used this Tolstoy quote before and I believe it is apt here as well.

When I spent my time in the military, I started out with the idea that I was going in for the long haul. That was my intention upfront and my goal. There were hurdles and challenges, but from the outset, I knew what the gains were — if I completed the task. The Cambridge dictionary defines the word team as a number of people who do something together as a group, interestingly the origins of the word are thought to be Germanic and are related to a team of ‘draught animals’ and the word for bridle, maybe that’s where my issue with this phrase begins. If we apply some basic mathematics, then the complexity of larger teams is easily highlighted (and would support Belbin’s assertion about optimal team size).

Scrabble Tools

This first appeared in The Havok Journal on November 7, 2014. The issues discussed are just as relevant today. More recently, three notable pieces of work have referenced this individualised collectivity as being fundamental to team formation and outcome delivery.

Special Operation Forces go where others don’t. They do missions that others cannot, either because of the precision, the surgical skill needed, or the absolute conviction that they are the absolute best warriors on the planet.Onsuccessful teams, it is clear to all that leveraging the collective intelligence of the group is a better way to solve a problem than making it the sole responsibility of the department head even if the problem lies within just one department. A fixed mindset can drastically impact the team environment and prevent team members from growing together. It can also leave team stagnant after a failure and make team members hesitant to take the risks that will help them grow. This creates a construct within the team, a solid platform for interaction, work and achievement. The team is made up of individuals, and in working through these questions, you will create a team made up of it's constituent parts. A team with it's own values and vision and team most definitely made up of the 'I'. Focus on the positive: Focus on the positive. Most people always find things to complain about. Don’t do that. If you focus on the good things, you’ll see more good things and so will others.

That competence and dedication are what makes them, regardless of branch, supreme badasses of violence, and destruction. They operate as teams and every man in that team has a place, a purpose, and a facet of the mission. To claim that one individual, who was just doing their assigned job, is more important than the others flies in the face of the entire ethos of the group. During her research Stuart realised that working together requires the negotiation of multiple identities; there are personal, team and professional identities continuously at play or, as one participant in the research put it, ‘When you ask for my views, do you mean as a single professional, as a member of my organisation, or as a member of this multiagency team?”The importance of individuals contributing to the greater good is critical here and if I’m being honest this is not a new concept, in fact it’s been around for a long time. Alexander the Great once said "Upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all." Video Transcript: Hey there friend, it’s Stefanie Krievins with Pro Troublemaker Nation, where I share tips and encouragement, so you can fix your hot messes. And today, I wanna talk about what it means to really be a team player. Without wishing to belittle the draught animal, the implication seems to be that when a collection of dumb animals are harnessed together they collectively gain strength from working together and, whilst I wholeheartedly accept Aristotle’s paraphrased assertion that the sum of the parts should be greater than the whole. I think there’s something missing here. So rather grandiosely I’m going to attempt to redefine the word team as “ a collection of individuals who come together (or are brought together) to achieve a defined outcome and who engage with, and collaborate to achieve, delivery of that outcome”. In this work-related structure, context is the macro to micro factors that influence our attitudes such as time pressures to get a job done, our personal relationships outside of work (did we have a row with our partner before coming in to work etc), what is the prevailing organisational culture as well as the wider economic and political environment. What is more important for this discussion however is identity. For this reason, the leader’s focus must be on facilitating his team’s success–not on fulfilling his own personal ambition and glorification.

But if you want glory and you want to shoot your mouth off and grab headlines, I guess you think you deserve protection. Not in my book. I didn’t know who made the shot until he told me. So the government gave him the best protection in the world — anonymity — but the protection did not include fancy titles, medals, books, and other stuff, so it was not good enough. If we rely on stories to drive behavior, we can’t accomplish anything, and relationships deteriorate. Resentment builds and eventually keeps the team from progressing. Be patient: When you have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish, it’s time to start working on your vision. You may not be able to achieve your vision in one day, but you can accomplish your vision over time. Let me give you another often-used saying: “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Keep showing up! You’ll get there. Get Everyone on Board with team building Something we all hear from time to time is the phrase, ' There is no I in team!' and it proper does my head in. This phrase is usually said in response to someone expressing a dissenting voice or opinion. It's also usually rolled out in some kind of 'toughen up' kind of tone. For me, I always hear an old school military overtone in this phrase. It's not what you could call in inclusive or a constructive phrase. I have another favourite one in a similar vein, ' taking one for the team', which usually refers to someone being bullied into something they don't want to do. Bullied is a strong word, but you know what I mean.Yes, it seems everyone wants an employee with the ability to play well with others. With CareerPunk’s encouragement of always embracing your individuality, it begs the question, “Why should I give a rat-fink about being a team player when my solo game is crushing like bae?” Because individuality doesn’t mean isolation.