The Glue that Keeps Teams Together

A team to me is a group of individuals who have shared experiences – the good, the bad, and the ugly. There’s a common interest that binds a team together, and a shared goal. Cricket wasn’t my first choice of sport, I actually grew up playing Tennis. I had dreams of winning Wimbledon, and lots of tennis posters on my wall. But I was eventually drawn to Cricket because of the team aspect of the sport. I enjoyed being part of a team.

The great thing about teams is that you’re not in an echo chamber. When things go wrong, you have a group of people to fall back on: people who have gone through similar experiences, who share the same goals, and whom you can rely on for support, feedback, or workshopping your approach. Your team has got your back.

Let’s look at the glue that holds a healthy team together.

Values

Establishing a strong set of values that everyone buys into is the cornerstone of a solid team. And if you’re a team player, you’re someone who believes in those values and is willing to work towards the team’s shared goals. Values are especially important when things aren’t going well.

Usually, people “act out” when they no longer feel connected to the team’s common goal. When there’s a mismatch in values and goals, individuals are more likely to undermine the team. A great example is when someone goes behind their colleague’s back, or go off on a tangent that wasn’t agreed upon. These are red flags that your team member isn’t quite buying into the culture and the goals that everyone else is working towards.

Let’s not confuse a mismatch in values with healthy disagreement. That’s a very different conversation. In this case, we’re talking about individuals who aren’t willing to communicate their issues, and figure out how to resolve them with the team. If you’re not willing to share your perspective, rationale, or even your feelings about something you disagree with, you’re not being a team player. You’re in a sense opting out of the “shared” aspect that keeps people together. Values should never feel enforced on the team. Make sure everyone is on the same page and feels connected to what you stand for.

Building Chemistry

A team leader is someone who oversees the rest of the team and takes stock of the different personalities in the mix. Try to initiate activities outside the office such as rock climbing that will take people out of their comfort zones. This allows your team members to step up.

Every team has the typical strong personalities, the type of people who are very outspoken during meetings and will usually steer conversations. But when you take these people out of their comfort zone, you are shaking things up. Different people might end up taking the lead, and open up different ways of communicating.

All in all, your team will get a better sense of the kinds of strengths that each member of the team brings, how they tick, and how they work. As a team leader, you’re in a position to facilitate these interactions. With deeper understanding between team members, there’s more respect established, which makes working together much more effective.

A good team player doesn’t have to be the best player of the team. To use Cricket terminology, the best player in the team won’t necessarily be Captain. The Captain could be just a very strong leader, someone who is excellent at that skill set. Sachin Tendulkar, arguably one of the world’s most iconic players, probably wasn’t the best Captain although he was a stellar player.

Let’s look at some of the personal habits and mindsets you can cultivate to help you perform better in your team.

Help Yourself To Help Others

In flights, you’re always reminded to put on your oxygen mask before helping anyone with theirs. When my mother was in the hospital for breast cancer, she told me, “Lisa, I know you want to look after me, but you have to look after yourself. If you don’t, we’ll both be here.”

In order to function at your optimal state, you have to give yourself the space and time to take care of yourself. When your glass is full, you’re in a better place to be able to contribute to your team and help others with their tasks.

In this day and age, we actually don't really ever allow our bodies to recharge. We’re constantly on the go, from work to meeting friends or spending time with family to the next activity. How often do you give yourself the time to rest your body and mind? Especially when we’re constantly connected on our phones, turning off and recuperating needs to be something you schedule intentionally. Listen to your body’s cues, and don’t put your own well-being on the back burner if you want to be a good teammate.

When You Aren’t Okay

There was a time when I suffered from depression and had to lead a team. My response to that was to conserve my energy so that I could perform well when we went on the field to play a match. As a consequence, I was perceived as someone who wasn’t a strong leader off the field. That was a difficult time for me, as I struggled to get through my personal battles while also contributing and performing for the team. I felt that I was doing right by the team by taking care of myself and saving energy for the field. However, it got to the point where I was told that I wasn’t the right leader for the team, because of my mental health condition.

Bear in mind, this was a time when depression and mental health conditions were not as openly discussed as they are today. Nowadays, thankfully, there are policies in place that support people who suffer from mental health conditions or burnout, to make sure they get the help they need without being “dropped” from the team.

Yet people’s perception of me shifted. With perceptions, you’ll find that once they’re made, it takes a very long time for them to change. In these situations, being patient with yourself and others will help to get you through. Be kind to yourself. The best thing you can do for your team sometimes is to take a break, step away. You can even share the load. If you’re comfortable sharing your struggles with a teammate, there’s no harm in opening up.

There’s absolutely no shame in saying you’re not okay.

Discipline For The Win

Disciplines and routines keep you running like a well-oiled machine. My daily routine is to wake up and draw a mental picture of what I want to achieve for the day. I write this down as a list, and tick things off. Doing this makes me feel like I have achieved my goals. I can count down how many items are left on my list. I try to break it up as much as possible.

So if I want to exercise, I put down specific goals: 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training, so I can check off two items on the list. At the end of the day, I’m able to look at what I have accomplished and feel satisfied. Find a routine that energises you, and begin your day with purpose. When you’re able to stay grounded and focused, you’re better prepared to serve the goals of your team.

Shared Goals Over All Else

In a team environment, you sometimes have to put the team's goals ahead of your own. Let’s say I’ve been working on certain types of batting shots. It’s the first competitive game, and I don’t want to pull those shots out yet because I don’t feel comfortable enough. However, if the team requires me to score runs at a quicker rate, I can’t just bat at my own pace to get myself comfortable. While it might benefit me, the team might lose the match as a result. I’d have to put aside my personal ambitions and think about how I can advance the team’s shared goals.

And sometimes, you have to put personal friendships secondary to the team’s best interest. This might ruffle a few feathers, but if your friends know that you have the team’s success central to your decision-making, they might understand. Still, there’s a fine line with such situations in the workplace. As a leader, you cannot afford to be bogged down by your personal ties. Keep a razor focus on the team’s shared goals, and stay invested in seeing things through.

Our coach used to say “it's your decision, whether you want to come on board or not”. So if you have a strong culture in your team, everyone would more or less want to play by the rules and support what’s best for the team.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

You don't need to be best friends with everyone on your team, to text them after work or meet them on weekends. But you do need to have respect for your teammates. Whether you’re just in the office or at an important meeting, be sure to always have your teammate’s back. Never wilfully undermine someone or cause them to slip up just to make yourself look good. Focus on helping and supporting people whenever you can. You’ll never know when you’ll need this support too. So create the culture that you want to see.

1. Be a Good Listener

If someone's giving you feedback, it's very easy to take things personally and get defensive. However, if you’re able to listen and recognise the issue without feeling attacked, you might find that you’re able to learn something valuable. Great communication starts with being a good listener.

2. Embody Your Values

Your team’s values shouldn’t feel alien to the person you are or the way you live. Make sure you’re living and breathing these values in all aspects of your life. You should never feel as though you have a split personality.

3. Co-Create Your Collective Goals

If you're involved in the process of creating something, then you feel ownership over what you’re doing. Get your team involved in setting these shared goals, and watch as they get excited, passionate, and go the extra mile to achieve these goals.