It can seem like there are a million different sayings that try to sum up the ingredients of an effective team – from “teamwork makes the dream work” to “there’s no ‘I’ in team!” – and these are just the tip of the iceberg. Although these sayings are very cliché, there is a kernel of truth in all of them. In fact, it’s never more obvious than when a team can’t reach its full potential.
At Veretis, we see a common theme among our elite sporting teams and organisations; a team of all-stars doesn’t mean you have an all-star team. Creating an effective team is not a one a one size fits all approach. Corny catch phrases and “team building activities” do nothing to identify what makes your team unique and don’t inspire the team to create opportunities to shine and produce results.
How do you make an all-star team?
Effective teams are a result of mutual goals, open communication, and an understanding of the strengths and work areas each team-member brings to the group. Strong teams thrive from a collaborative effort of team members who want to achieve their individual goals, in combination with group goals. This helps to make the group a united team rather than a “bunch” of individuals.
Is my team performing at their best?
A critical mistake that we see repeatedly is organisations not making time to establish team culture at the beginning of the journey. Cracks appear when pressure is applied to organisations who assume the values and desires that drive leaders also inspire the other team members. Individuals will always unconsciously behave in response to their underlying motivations, rather than in line with the team’s strategies and values.
Veretis has worked extensively with a range of teams, and we know that no two teams are exactly alike. It takes an experienced facilitator to guide teams through the process of uniting under a common banner.
Another common mistake we see is team building ‘experts’ applying the same theory and process to every team they work with. For example, discipline and ‘hard work’ can be great values for a team of young individuals starting their journey. However, an experienced senior executive team who have already worked hard to achieve their position would find these values redundant. A team’s greatest chance of success requires implementing specific, measurable behaviours they can be held accountable for.
What can Veretis do?
Veretis is highly experienced in working with teams to lift and sustain their performance. We unite the strengths of individuals and can craft a cohesive team. As a result, the team performs well beyond the capabilities of those individuals alone. Veretis can partner with your team to identify strength and improvement areas, then build on these improvement areas through their strengths.
Identifying barriers to elite performance is key to helping align staff (and players) to achieve personal and team goals which each member feels they own. This has a direct and positive impact on team development and creates consistently elite performance. As all teams are different, Veretis works flexibly to create goals that meet the actual requirements and objectives of your team.
What next?
We believe that a great team should have the support and ability to perform time and time again, even when their goals or demands change. We help develop resilience and long-term plans that will support sustained performance.
No matter what the field is, your team can thrive with support from Veretis. Get in touch today to learn more about how we can help your team.
