Team Work

In the simplest words T.E.A.M means ‘Together Everyone Achieves More’.

         Team is a group of people working on the same or different assignment but for a similar result or cause. In this blog we will try to understand that why different team’s perform at different levels.

          We are in twenty first century; a well developed world is what we see today. If you see any major achievement in the world, it’s for sure a result of a good team work.

          From freedom fight of India to landing on moon, all what is worth calling an achievement is a fine example of a team effort. Millions of people have sacrificed their lives to make this world look so well civilized & developed as it is today.

          Business Empire like Reliance started by great business leader of India is a fine example of team work of common men, lead by a business genius. Another such example is ‘White Revolution’ of India lead by ‘Dr Verghese Kurien’ which resulted into Anand Milk Union Limited (Amul).

        ‘Lagaan’ & ‘Chak De Inida’, two Bollywood movies got super hit success. Both had two things common in them- 

             (1)  A great leader to lead the team.

             (2)  A Purpose (Vision) to inspire the team.

            Most recent example of a great leadership in Indian sports is Mr M.S. Dhoni who lead the team from the front and became the only captain who has won the world titles in all three formats of Cricket. Current Indian cricket team is proving the fact that a purpose driven team can actually achieve the impossible.

          In every part of the world we see some of the businessmen has grown over the period of time even in the worst market conditions for business, proving that the right attitude & leadership quality with excellent team support, anything is possible.

          In the corporate world, I have found within the same company there is a huge difference in performance of the team managers.

         What determine the performance level of a team: - As I stated above that there are two major factors which make all the difference - Leadership & the purpose to inspire the team.

            Gone are the days that an administrative head or a manager can take out the best from the team members. It’s the time when only ACTION will make the difference, a manager has to have all the qualities first & his action should be exemplary. It’s the time when a manager has to lead. In many of the modern organizations the designation has also seen a transformation from Manger to Team Leader.

          The point is very clear that today the world needs more leaders, who can WALK THE TALK & lead from the front, rather than managers who can only take reporting & send the reports.

         Data says majority of SMEs (Small & Medium Enterprises) & Start ups companies close down their operations in less than 24 months. Why a start up fails.

                (1) Lack of experience.
       
       (2) Lack of funds.

      
       (3) Poor leadership.

              (4) Purpose not defined properly.

         In many cases we see that a hardworking man was doing pretty well alone, but once he expanded his business & then failed. It can be poor leadership or a lack of team work or could be both put together. Though there is no team which is created for losing or performing law but still some don’t achieve the goal ever.

          Let’s find out the common mistakes which can result into the low performance or failure of a team:-

                   (1)     A person who wants to be an administrator only, and want to push his team to perform.

                   (2)     A person with negative attitude will defuse his team.

                   (3)     A person who wants to do lip service only.

                   (4)     A person who is not focused & not driven by purpose.

                   (5)     Lack of coordination in the team.

                   (6)     A bad environment will never see a team grow.

                   (7)     Office politics/ gossips can be fatal for any team.

                   (8)     Lack of vision/ purpose.

        Let’s find out the remedy for creating a successful team:-

                 (1)     A person has to lead a team from the front. A leader pulls his team like a train engine.

                 
                 (2)     Positive attitude is a prerequisite to become an effective leader.

     
                 (3)     A leader has to follow the principle of “Walk the Talk” means he must follow what he preaches.

                 (4)     A person who is purpose driven will always be consistent in his action & will inspire the team.

                 (5)     A good leader will bring in synergy among the team members to ensure the best performance.

                 (6)     Positive environment will bring out the best from each team member.

                 (7)     Positive energy will reduce the chances of politics in the work place.

       
                 (8)     An ambitious team will only stick to a team which is driven by a vision/ purpose.

               In the last I would like to advice all leaders to be with your team more often, break bread with your people, means have meals together in regular periodic manner. Always praise in front of the team & share improvement areas in one to one meeting. This will win hearts, and the one who can win hearts can lead the team to success.

                Stay grounded & keep your eyes on the vision.

                Make vision statement & follow your dreams.  

                A dreamer is always a good leader.

           Keep dreaming, keep moving with passion, keep scaling new heights, keep reading, keep sharing…..

Stay Happy…Stay Blessed