Great Teamwork

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision, the ability to direct individual accomplishment toward the team's objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." - Andrew Carnegie

 

Amidst the COVID 19 pandemic, we have been forced to work differently. Teamwork has always been an essential part of how we work. Still, there is some irony that teamwork is more important now than ever, with everyone working so far apart from each other. More people are working from home or from remote locations to remain in a safe environment.

 

"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." - Phil Jackson

 

A team's greatest strength and effectiveness lie in its team members. Thus, great teamwork is necessary for teams to accomplish the overall objectives and goals of an organization. Businesses thrive when people work well together. Great partnership motivates unity within the workplace. Even if we work together via computer on an online meeting collaboration, teamwork promotes an atmosphere that fosters friendship, togetherness, and loyalty. We can become more familiar with each other and each individual's personality. We want our team to be successful. We want the best for everyone on our team. These relationships motivate each other to work harder, cooperate and be supportive of each other.

 

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." - Henry Ford

 

Individuals possess diverse talents, weaknesses, communication skills, strengths, and habits. Great teamwork is critical to focus on each other's strengths to maximize each individual's talents while blending them to achieve the overall goals and objectives.

With this in mind, one can effectively delegate responsibility among the team members. It not only helps to lessen the workload but also contributes to developing accountability in team members. This prepares every team member to be clear about what is expected of them, which propels them to perform with utmost dedication and responsibility for their work. When teamwork is working at its peak, the whole team is motivated and working toward the same goal in harmony. Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a shared vision and direct individual accomplishment toward the team's objectives. It is the fuel that allows ordinary people to attain extraordinary results.

 

"The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison." - James Cash Penny

 

Great teamwork can offer different perspectives and feedback. Team effort increases output by having quick feedback and multiple sets of skills come into play to support your work. Every individual brings their diversity of thought, creativity, perspectives, opportunities, and problem-solving approaches with them. These differing opinions and experiences strengthen accountability and can help make effective decisions faster than when done alone. 

Effective teams also allow the initiative to innovate and brainstorm collectively. This increases their success in problem-solving, creating a competitive edge to accomplish goals and objectives and arrive at solutions more effectively.  You can go through the stages of planning, designing, and execution much more efficiently when a team is functioning as a cohesive unit.

 

"Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

 

Great teamwork leads to improved efficiency and productivity. It produces a synergistic effect that amplifies the output and efficacy as opposed to team members working individually. This is because it allows the workload to be shared, reduces pressure on individuals, and ensures tasks are completed within a set time frame. It also will enable goals to be more attainable, enhances the optimization of performance, improves job satisfaction, and increases work pace. When we coordinate our efforts with the efforts of others, we move toward achieving our goals.  Teamwork divides the tasks and doubles the success of any project. Alone, a project may seem overwhelming. With collaboration, tasks become simple. 

When individuals work together, rather than working alone, they work efficiently and complete tasks faster due to many minds intertwined on the same goals and objectives of the business. By working together, good work becomes excellent. Average becomes awesome! Ordinary becomes extraordinary.

 

"Unity is strength. When there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." - Mattie Stepanek

 

Great teamwork fosters individual growth, as it produces excellent learning opportunities. Being part of a team that comprises competent individuals can help you learn many new skills by sharing information. Working in a team enables us to learn from one another's mistakes. You can avoid future errors, gain insight from differing perspectives, and learn new concepts from more experienced colleagues. In addition, individuals can expand their skill sets, discover fresh ideas from new colleagues, and therefore ascertain more effective approaches and solutions towards their tasks. This active engagement generates the future articulation, encouragement, and innovative capacity to problem solve and generate ideas more effectively and efficiently. What's even more amazing about strong teamwork is that you might become more aware of your strengths because of your teammates. You also become a better listener, which will help you grasp as much information as possible and use it to your advantage in the future.

 

"No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you are playing a solo game, you'll always lose out to a team." - Reid Hoffman

 

When team members understand their roles, responsibilities, and the significance of their output, the team will be driven to share the same vision, values, and goals. The result creates a workplace environment based on fellowship, trust, support, respect, and cooperation. When all the team members work collectively, they feel a greater sense of accomplishment after the task is finished. Examples are all around us if we are aware and look for them daily.

 

"When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality." - Joe Paterno

 

So, remember that when you are collaborating with others around you. You are more likely to get better results by involving others and working together. None of us can accomplish alone what all of us can accomplish together. As stated in my favorite acronym, T.E.A.M. = Together Each Achieves More. There is immense power when a group of individuals collaborates to work toward a common goal. Practice great teamwork today!

 

Make today great!

 

Curtis

 

"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team, a company work, a society work a civilization work." - Vince Lombardi