TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) Part I

The Concept of Team Building

Teams are an important part of the workplace. They help achieve great goals and projects through collective collaboration towards common objectives. They are most needed in the sort of work that a person can't do alone, however, they can be hard to manage sometimes.

Five myths (lies) about team work:

1. I always choose my team members.

2. My friends have to be my team members.

3. My team members should have the same technical skill level I possess.

4. My team members should adapt to my way of thinking.

5. An effective team should have no conflicts.

There are many factors contribute to the process of forming a team and choosing its team members. The degree of allowed free choice vary, because not everyone you want to work with share you the same desire. Besides, teams might have a preset number of members, which might force you to work with more or less people than you initially wanted. Sometimes team members are obliged to work with one another by a higher authority.

There's a big difference between your "team mates" and your "friends". These two groups can intersect sometimes, but this should not be the norm in forming your team. A team is a way to achieve more professionally, not a way for personal companionship. Not that your personal comfort is not a necessity, but the professional outcome should be given a higher priority.

Believe it or not, we are all differently the same :-) How come??? We all have good things and bad things. We just have different good things and different bad things. The trick is to bring to light the good things in yourself and your team members, and minimizing the effects of the bad things on yourself and others.

One of the things we all do is "Thinking", but we just think differently. Adapting to other people's way of thinking helps you have a better understanding of their nature, let alone minimizing the chance of escalating conflicts. Do this by listening to what every one has to say, instead of developing an instant reaction towards what is being said.

However, conflicts remain inevitable. Personally and Professionally. It requires great skills and honesty to deal with conflicts. Moreover, acknowledging that conflicts are "Normal" and "Essential", helps you to manage it more efficiently. And if you look at it from the bright side, you will find that conflicts help you develop your problem- solving skills.