What is the key to successful teamwork?

Photo on Unsplash

Teamwork is very important. People say that what makes a difference between a good company and a great one is the effective teamwork. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to work well with other people, especially, when they are very different from us. Often, we have to work with people from different social and cultural background, who have different professional and life experiences, different age... So, trying to make a good team and keeping it good, could be very challenging.

As I work for an NGO, one of my main responsibilities is to work with volunteers and form different teams who will have the task to work on different projects. This could be very enriching and really fascinating as an experience, both personal and professional, but it could be also very difficult. One of the biggest challenges in working with volunteers is that they are not similar at all. Volunteering is for everybody which means that volunteers can have very different profiles. I work with doctors, teachers, students, people who live in poverty, who are retired, who come from a different country and don't speak fluently the language, social workers... and we need to form a team! It is not easy at all. When we have different professional and personal experiences it could be really hard to make it work and to make it work for a long time. Sometimes it is not even possible to understand each other (literally!).

On the one hand, what is great in working with people with different profiles is the diversity of opinions, visions, thoughts and ideas we can get, the creativity that comes as a result of that. And on the other hand, this could also be a big reason for arguments and disagreements. Co-workers can even insult, hurt each other, say things that are offensive. After all, we are humans with our weaknesses and egos. So how can we make this work?

Teamwork is crucial for people's well-being, productivity, creativity and the company's future. I know people who don't want to go to work, quit theirs jobs or have burn-outs because they don't want to see theirs colleagues. If we think a little bit, we spend maybe more time with our co-workers than sometimes with our families. So, it is really fundamental for everybody to feel good at their work place. If we hate our co-workers, we are not capable to do well our job, we suffer, we are unhappy and get depressed. Working in a good environment is very important for people's mental and physical health!

Also, good teamwork leads to good results for the company/organization we work for. If we are not capable to work well because we don't feel good in our team, we fight with our colleagues or we don't communicate well enough, we are incapable to get the best results from our work. So, good teamwork is very important for the company and also for the people working for it. If we are happy to go to work every single day and to meet our co-workers, we are naturally more capable of doing a better job.

Recently, I had to work with a person with whom I just could not get along. You can read this article Why are negative people the best teachers? where I talk more about this story... That made me realize that sometimes even if we like our job and what we do in life, when we are surrounded by people who are not “healthy” for us, who are negative and with whom we just can not find a way to talk and to make things work, it could be very disturbing, depressing, discouraging, demotivating... it could be a real reason to think about quitting your job. Yes, the work environment is very very important. We spend the most of our days at work. If we don't feel good at work, that means that we don't feel good most of our days. It is sad to spend our life like that when it is supposed to be fun, fulfilling and empowering. Our job and teammates have to inspire us to work better and to become better at what we do. Also, knowing how to work well in a team is something that teaches us a lot about life and relationships, how sometimes we need to be the leader and to take a step forward, and sometimes, we need to be the follower and to take a step back.

So, even if I think that I still have many things to learn about teamworking, I am sharing with you some important, in my opinion, steps that could help any person to work better in their team and with theirs teammates and to get the best results of their work. Phil Jackson, one of the best coaches in NBA's history said, “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team”.

Respect each other's differences.

As I already said, life can make us work with people who are far different from us and... we are also far different from them. This could be a very enriching personal and professional experience, but it could also be very difficult. One really important thing to keep in mind is that every person has their own personal and professional story and experience and we have to respect that. We can learn something from everybody, no matter their age or level of studies. In a team, we are all teachers and students. We teach ourselves together and we learn together. Respecting the fact that someone comes from a different social background, different culture, different country, does not speak fluently the language, but is trying, is very important to make this person feel good in the team, to be a part of it, to be seen as “one of us” instead of “the outsider”.

Making people feel accepted as they are, without judging and stigmatizing is fundamental for a successful teamwork.

Respect each other's opinions.

In a team, we will all have sometimes different opinions and visions about a particular problem. What is important is to listen to what everybody has to say, to actually hear it and to really think about it. Often, people with more professional experience think that they know more than the young ones. Even if this is true sometimes, it is not always. This is not a rule. We need to learn how to think objectively about every single idea, thought and comment we get from a teammate. We can learn a lot from our co-workers with big professional experience, but they can also learn a lot from the young ones. Sometimes people with less experience have more neutral points of view and lots of creativity. Even the lack of knowledge could be a plus because it may give us the courage to make bold decisions. Young people can think easier “out of the box” than someone with 30 years experience in the same professional field. We never stop learning! Every opinion in a team is important.

This leads to the next step.

Be tolerant and open-minded.

This is a very important thing to learn in life – to be tolerant and open-minded about people being different than us. During our life, we will meet people who will have different values, beliefs and priorities than us. They will see the world from a whole other angle and even if it is bizarre for us or we don't understand it, we need to learn that we are all different and we have to accept it. We can not change people, we can only change ourselves and this is already difficult enough. We don't need to make people think and act like we do. We don't need to live with some walking copies of us. Actually, we learn the most from people who are completely different than us. They are the ones capable to expand our visions about life and the world. This is also what makes a team being creative – the diversity of opinions and ideas coming from the members based on their different personal and professional experiences.

Establish goals and commit to their achievement.

One of the most important things in a team is that all the members have the same goals and go in the same direction. They need to work for the same results. Establishing concrete goals and stay committed to their achievement is crucial. Teammates may have differences, but they need to stick to the same plan. They need to work towards the same outcomes.

Knowing what we exactly want and how we can achieve it together is something that must be decided in the team by the team members. The team needs to have a plan for achieving the final goals. This must be energizing, motivating and inspiring for the team members. They must feel inspired while working on their project. We all want to feel motivated, engaged and fulfilled at work. We need to make sure that every member of the team feels empowered by the work they do. Good teamwork could be a huge motivator to work better, faster and smarter.

What is your strength?

An effective teamwork brings the best out of each member. What are the members personal and professional strengths? Some people are really sociable and talkative. They will be great to go out and meet partners who can work with you on your project. Other people are introverts, but are very good in analyzing and doing researches or writing rapports or doing other paper work. Some people are more handy. They will prefer doing something with theirs hands like creating something, painting, building up.

Finding everybody's strength is very important. It is important for the work, but also for the person. We all know the great feeling of doing something that we are good in. We feel amazing. We feel energized, happy, fulfilled, motivated. We feel like we rule the world. This must be every person's life goal – find their personal strength, their passion and use it in their work.

Communicate with your teammates.

Good communication is the key to solving many problems. Actually, if you think about it, most of the arguments are based on bad communication between the people involved. You think that the other person think something, but actually they don't think that at all, but they also do think that you think something you actually don't. Yeah... people can be complicated sometimes! Often, we can think that someone wanted to offend us and that could be very far away from the truth. People just don't know how to communicate and how to express clearly theirs thoughts sometimes.

So, being able to freely talk to your teammates without having the fear of being judged or rejected is very important. This is what builds a trusty and safe environment at work. The members of a team need to feel safe at work and with theirs colleagues. Knowing that even if you disagree with them, you will not be punished or put in the case “the one with the weird ideas” make people dare to say what they really think, to have the courage to give their own ideas even if they may be stupid for some people, to express freely their opinion.

Good communication is the main tool that makes relationships, personal and professional, work! So, try to ask questions, see if you all understood the same thing about a particular task, see if you are all on the same page. This will prevent from many arguments and people being hurt in the future.

Problem solving is a teamwork.

When we work in a team with other people, we need to know that making big decisions about the project we are currently working on or the team itself, must be made by all the members of the team, not by one or two persons. All the members together. In teams there is no hierarchy, even if every member has a title, even if there is a team manager. The reality is that we are all in this together and when it comes to making big decisions or solving a problem, it must be done by all the members, no exception!

This is a very important step that allows everybody to feel useful for the team and that their opinion matters. This is where good communication also comes along. Take the time to talk about what is happening, what possible solutions everybody sees to solve the problem.

Teamwork is all about participative leadership.

In a team everybody needs to feel useful and have certain responsibilities. Otherwise, we just feel like we don't fit in and we are losing our time. All the members of a team should be leaders at some point or another. Learning how to be a leader and at the same time a follower is maybe one of the most difficult lessons not only in teamworking, but in life!

We all need to learn how to play the two games and to be flexible and adaptive according to the situation, how to be responsible, take actions, make important decisions, have the courage and the enthusiasm to move forward even if the future is blur, but also how to follow those who are better than us in something, who may know more than us, who have more experience.

A team is made by unique individuals.

Even if we are in a team, we are all different and unique. It is very important that every person in a team is seen as a unique individual with unique qualities and skills that could be helpful. Nobody likes to be seen only like a part of something. We all want to be seen as we are, as individuals with our personal thoughts, ideas, fears, hobbies, motivations, goals and hopes.

Of course, in a team often we have to make compromises with our personal desires because of the main goal of all the members, but it is important to show up as an individual with ideas, thoughts and visions that could be useful. However, try to not let your ego take the best of you! Sometimes it is better to make some space for the others.

Recognition is important! Celebrate the victories!

When we did a good job, we are always glad when someone points it to us. It could be just a simple “good work”, “well done” or “congrats on this result”, but it changes a lot how we feel about our job, about the people we work with and about ourselves. We don't need big parties and confetti, but recognition for the work we did, for the effort we made, for the hours spent after work at the office, for the great idea that comes once in a lifetime... yeah, a handshake, a smile and a “good job” are always welcomed. When people tell us that they appreciate what we have done or we are doing, it just makes us feel useful, fulfilled and empowered. We start believing that we are in the right place at the right time with the right people. We feel happy. We feel appreciated. Sometimes even if we know that we have done a good job, but nobody tells it to us, it makes us feel that it does not matter, that nobody cares. We feel like fools working for nothing. So, be kind to your teammates who did great at work and tell them that. Do not be scared of making genuine compliments, it lights up people's day.

Also, do not forget to have fun together and celebrate the victories, even the small ones. This is very important for the members to feel closer to each other and to share a fun moment of joy together.

Spend some time off together.

One of the things that I love doing with the people I work with and I think is really really important for our good relationship and our job is doing things together in our free time. It could be having lunch or dinner together, going to an event, spending some fun time. Once I went to the beach with my teammates, another time we went for a hike. We did not talk about work at all! This was the only rule. We talked about everything else – our families, our personal stories, what we like and what we dislike, what our hobbies are, what we normally do in our free time... all this fun stuff.

It is really fundamental for the work of a team to spend some time off of work together, to laugh and to have fun, to find some things in common that could bring them closer. This allows people to know each other better and also to see each other as individuals, as people with normal lives, families, fears, problems, personal struggles... These moments make you see differently your co-workers. This is why teambuildings are very important.

I remember how once I went to a conference in Paris with a colleague of mine with whom I just couldn't get along. We were arguing all the time. It was very difficult for both of us. I remember how in the train we had the chance to spend some time together and to know each other better. We talked about his life, about mine. Finally, we realized that we wanted the same things for our work, but we just couldn't understand each other (bad communication!!). This trip to Paris was very helpful for both of us.

It is important to know your colleagues. You have to know who you work with. Some people don't care about that, but I think it is very important. We spend our whole days with these people and if we don't know who they are, I find this sad. So, invite them for a coffee or for some drinks after work. This is always a good way to end a hard day of working.

Forget the ego, think of the team.

Finally, the best teams are those which members think less of theirs personal desires and more of what is in the best interest of the team. Sometimes, it is very difficult to put aside our personal goals and interests and to do what is best for the team, but if this is what will bring us the greatest results, this is what we must do. It is never easy. It is always tough, but often tough decisions must be made.

This relates also to romantic and all kinds of relationships – sometimes we have to think more about what is best for everybody as a group and less about what is best for us. What is our priority? If we want to think only about our personal interests, we need to find another team or job that gives us this opportunity.

Teamwork teaches us a lot about life and relationships. Sometimes we love our teammates and sometimes we hate them and don't want to see them again. Sometimes they make us angry and sometimes we laugh our lungs out. With some of them we work well from the start and with others we need to be patient and make efforts, compromises, we need to learn how to communicate better or how to find the best way to communicate. Sometimes, we will end up giving up and understanding that it will never work out and sometimes, we will find the right way to work well together and this will feel great and empowering. We spend almost our whole day with our co-workers. If we want to be happy, motivated, energized and enthusiastic about our work, effective teamworking is one of the greatest keys to achieve that. It is worth the effort. Love, Elena