Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/112426
Shining a Light on the Dark Side of Teams Continued JOBS for TEAMS pleasure of accomplishment may prove the most reliable path to make the great reliably greater.��� What makes teams successful is a sense of commonality, shared values, integrity, and a commitment to one another. In preparing for a team event, or in becoming a member of a team, a transformation occurs where team members end their individual associations and create a team identity through sharing with others the experience of that process. Once the team is created, a strong bond is already in place from that preparation, from the obstacles everyone had to overcome to get there. When joining the military, everyone has a crucible, basic training, which really isn���t basic at all and is usually the hardest experience to get through, Piasecki points out. The crucible is something all members have to overcome to be part of the team. They shave all the soldiers��� heads to take away their individual designations and rebuild them as team members, reshape their identities into a shared identity. ���We have many ways to create bonding experiences in business,��� he asserts.���There is nothing wrong with off-site team-building events or weekly social gatherings��� the more people are together the better they get to know each other���but there is no substitute for ���real-world��� work. Bring people together often so they can share their progress, brainstorm ideas to keep projects moving, and generate the synergy needed to move from being a collection of individuals to becoming an interconnected, mutually dependent team. Great teams mourn losses together.They celebrate success together. Always, they share information and hold themselves accountable to the team.��� The right ���captains��� can help us build teams strong enough to withstand the dark side. Here, of course, in the choosing and nurturing of captains, is where all of the lessons coalesce. It takes a certain type of leader to create not just a loose affiliation of fierce individualists but a true team. Piasecki���s definition of a captain is someone who can rapidly recognize the key capabilities of their team members. They are able to see the capacity for harm and evil and quickly disarm it (as opposed to Lance Armstrong, who allowed it to flourish and even promoted it). On the other hand, captains recognize the capacity for generosity and quickly put it to use in building up other team members and generating momentum. In this way they build teams that balance the negatives in each member, making a stronger and better core. ���Captains also treat their team members with a kind of fierce immediacy, and they achieve team coherence and team integrity in the process,��� Piasecki continues. ���Captains do not take the time to���as I heard from several military sources������wait for solutions.��� Instead, ���they seek possible solutions and test them on the fly.��� ���So, keeping teams safely away from ���the dark side��� begins with ensuring that the right captains are at the helm. All of which brings to mind a big question: Are captains made, or are they born? Personally, I think the answer is ���both.��� In my work I have found that many leaders have the raw material to be captains. They simply need to be nurtured and developed in ways that coax forth their inherent noble qualities and bring them to full flower.��� ���Invest in your captains,��� Piasecki concludes. ���Choose them well and use them wisely. Give them authority to align and make accountable those capable of evil, harm, and generosity. They will bring the results and the profits you are looking for���and along the way they will empower your people to extend their wings and soar in the magic that only teams can generate.���> | 28 JobsForTeams0113_Feature.indd 4 www.jobsforteams.com 2/4/13 8:47 AM