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.