It's Team Time!

At a time when the Olympic Games are all pervading, our thoughts have turned to team working. It’s captivating to watch our athletes working together, striving for peak performance. How do they really perceive the balance between the euphoria of winning and the pride in taking part? To a large extent this will depend on the original goal - whether medals are a realistic prospect or not and how participants are then able to learn from their performance and take positives into the longer term from short term disappointment. Transposing this line of thinking into organisational life, the euphoria of winning equates with achieving stretching team goals that bring rewards for the team and help make the organisation successful. Pride in taking part resonates with the strong relationships that can endure longer term and pride in the company and employer brand.    

Looking at our Level Seven ‘7 Steps to Effective Team Work’ (http://bit.ly/QdOhsP) in the context of the Olympics, they are clearly relevant to sport as well as to business. 

Here are our thoughts – let us know what you think:

Step 1 – Create a common sense of purpose -  from ‘going for gold’ to ‘doing our absolute best’

Step 2 – Communicate – verbal, physical, emotional; before, during, after

Step 3 – Commitment to each other – the team is all; no blame; sharing glory and disappointment

Step 4 – Take calculated risks – exploring and supporting innovation

Step 5 – Learn from setbacks – reflection, analysis, energising change

Step 6 – Build on success – celebrate the highs, acknowledge the lows and grow stronger

Step 7 – Create space to learn and grow – ongoing philosophy of continuous improvement

Go for it Team GB!! 

Our UK Correspondent