What It Takes to Build a Team

My personal definition of an effective team is "a joining together of diversified individuals who are united by a shared trust and motivation to meet a challenge utilizing their best qualities and skills."

That last facet of the team, a challenge that calls for their finest, is absolutely essential but often missing in a team. Without such a challenge, your "team" might just be a group of people going through the motions.

One of the most gratifying jobs I've had was cutting survey lines for mineral exploration in northern Canada. A group of us would be flown to a distant, unknown area, dropped off and left to fend for ourselves! In an instant, we knew in order to survive we had to gel immediately as a team. This was especially apparent when we were moving camps in 40 below weather conditions!

Before we even started the job we had to build an outhouse, clear an area for a tent, lay the floor, set up a stove, cut firewood, secure a watering hole and cut down straight trees for stringers. The ability to thrive at our job and maintain the bush camp demanded teamwork as well. Our job included: placing the baseline in the precise position, cutting the section lines, keeping a constant fire, cooking dinner and other duties required of us to run the bush camp.

At the root of it all, we had no choice. We had to work as a team. Our clear and undeniable challenge demanded it.

Do you require a team effort to reach your goals? Is becoming a team the best way to survive and to get the job done right?

If you answered no, you need to aim for greater things! A unifying challenge can be found at any place. It is not limited to the physically hostile Canadian North.

Recently I read a vision statement. It was for a small town financial institution. It read: "We strive to be the most effective financial service provider and the best workplace in every community in which we serve."
I thought "Great! That's exactly it!"

If you think you can form a strong team without the element of a clear and compelling challenge, you are sorely mistaken.Frankly, you don't even need the team because just the very presence of the challenge is THE prerequisite for team building.