TOW#487 — Perfect Team
I’ve written on this topic a lot, but I can honestly say that it’s never enough.
Is there such a thing as a perfect team?
To make things easier, and so you don’t have to waste time thinking about it, let me just go right ahead and say that a perfect team doesn’t exist. Well, let me elaborate a little. It’s incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to find a perfect team. But before trying to explain my position, let’s first define the term ‘perfect team’!? — A team that has a common goal and vision, and everyone gives their best for that higher goal; where there’s a solid structure, everyone has their own clearly defined role and tasks, which are performed professionally and impeccably; a strong leader who is an example and inspiration for everyone in the team, who has qualified and dedicated professionals who follow them in achieving the common vision; where there is impeccable communication and transfer of information, respect and mutual support among all members.
Even while writing this definition, I thought there’s no need to continue and explain further this notion of a ‘perfect team’. Look around you, and at your team, and try to see where you are in relation to this definition. I hope you realise just how hard it is to find a perfect team!
In this weekly tip I’ll deal only with one aspect of the functioning, or more precisely the lack of functioning of a team — following the team leader, manager, director, or whatever title they’re given. According to the above definition, one aspect of a functional team is having a strong leader and a team that follows them in every situation (good as well as bad ones). However, herein lies the biggest problem, the act of following the team leader.
What follows is a list, that my team at work helped me to create (for which I am very grateful), of concepts/ideas/excuses that are usually used to boycott a superior:
• … I’ll do it, but it’s not right!
• … as if, that’s ridiculous, it’s not right!
• … that’s not the right way to do it!
• … I don’t let anyone tell me what to do!
• … I’ll do as he says, but I’ll add something of my own (it’ll definitely come out better that way)!
• … nobody told me to do this, but I nevertheless think that I should do it!
• … Ok, I’ll do it as you say (but not the way you told me to!
• … I mean, he/she doesn’t have a clue!
• … I know better!
• … this isn’t the right way to do it/to work!
• … wow, he/she’s so stupid!
• … I wasn’t instructed how to do it, but this must be the way!
• … I don’t know what she said!?
• … what was I supposed to do!?
• … I’m sure he’ll forget!
• … It can’t be very important if he didn’t repeat it 100 times!
• … that’s not my job!
• … it’s ok, she’s nice, she won’t punish me!
• … He’s not pressuring me, which means I don’t have to finish this!
• ….
• ….
• ….
All of these statements are, in essence, an obstacle to achieving set goals, and are a big problem for any manager/leader when focusing on the development of a company. Instead of working on the bigger story and vision, he/she ends up having to deal with resolving issues that someone else should have taken care of (as agreed/delegated). The one and only characteristic that binds all of these statements, and is one of the biggest factors in a team’s disfunction, is the EGO of each of the team members! Instead of all focusing on achieving common goals, and each person performing their assigned task in the most professional way, we (the ego) will always find reasons for not doing so.
In any case, however difficult or impossible it may be to have a perfect team, it’s very important for us to be aware of this fact, and then to know that we have to work a lot, together, towards the accomplishment of the company’s goals, and thus our individual goals too. If each of us performs their task impeccably, and contributes to their team through their individual performance, greater success for the entire organisation is inevitable.
Wishing you success with the changes to come,
Petar Lazarov
“Tip of the Week” Team member
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