adminZachary Aldwin Milkshake in the Boardroom
When I was still at university I remember working on team projects; the sort of assignment where a random group of classmates was lumped together to produce a presentation. I hated them. Nearly every time group work was suggested I knew that somewhere in the group lurked “The Shirker”.
The shirker was simply the guy who would do little or no work yet claim full credit for the assignment that everyone else would slaved over to ensure that it got in on time.
There was always one. It tainted my world view and reinforced the mantra that “All humans are inherently lazy”.
Teamwork is considered one of the foundational pillars of modern society. Acronyms like “Together each accomplishes more” are chanted throughout motivational workshops. Team building exercises form the core of many workshops that seek to enhance organisational success.
The trust fall exercise where you rely on the arms of your teammates if you fall backwards still provokes a fear of dread within me; fuelled perhaps by a mild panic when it comes to heights, and the paranoia that someone who I have accidentally offended may just choose to let me drop to my doom. Teams work. They can also fail in spectacular fashion.
The strength of teams is based on the premise that each member brings something to the group that someone else lacks, that from pooling this diversity we have a fantastic resource that can accomplish infinitely more than the individual.
If this is the case why do so many teams fail to deliver the goods, and if they do it is with mediocre standards?
Firstly, the membership of the team needs to be clear. According to J. Richard Hackman (pictured below), this is the role of the leader.
If a team is unsure of who is on it then there is a greater chance that accountability will be passed onto someone else. “I thought Bill from Finance was taking care of the budget, he was on the team right?”
Teams also need a clear, compelling direction. Successful teams are often the result of successful leadership that can paint with clarity the reason for the team’s existence, what is expected of it as an end result.
Leadership often assumes that a “less is more” approach works better with teams. Not when it comes to casting vision.
Give your team a clear “what”and let them figure out and take responsibility of the “how”. If you, as the leader, fail to give the team a clear direction they will either mill around aimlessly like sheep in a meadow, or they will become susceptible to the loudest voice in the group – and that voice may not have the same direction in mind that you do.
Imagine trying to produce a play without a director. The actors pitch up when they want for rehearsal; one of them decides that the play should be done as a comedy while someone else wants to focus on the more emotional aspects of the script.
The costume department decides on elaborate, expensive outfits while the stage manager is working on a minimalistic set. Chaos ensues.
Not only is it important to give direction, but to inspect that direction. Accountability for given responsibility is the way around “The Shirker”.
Inspection is not just a task for the end of the project but must be inbuilt repeatedly throughout.
Kill the critic but make room for the deviant. The critic is the team member who silences discussion, is toxic and really should be shunted off the team as soon as possible.
The deviant is the team member who by challenging the status quo encourages discussion and opens up new avenues of growth.
The deviant is the person who has a slightly odd take on things and questions why we have always done things this way and by so doing gets us to create a better way of doing things. The critic questions why we are doing anything at all and shuts down progress.
Leaders need to ensure that they do not mistake the deviant for the critic and accidentally shut him down.
Putting these ideas in place will not guarantee you a great team. They will, however, start you off in the right direction that has a higher degree of success with teamwork
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