I would hear words and phrases like trust, confidence, focus, joy, and freedom to take chances and make mistakes...
For several weeks, the television in our home was set to the Olympics. Our family sat on the couch for hours at a time watching athletes from all over the world compete in individual and team sports. As usual, there were many great stories, nail-biting events, and both expected and surprising results.
For me, there was no better event and result than the US women’s soccer team winning the gold medal. Yes, their games were exciting, and I love to see the US athletes do well. But, it was the lead up to the tournament that made it so fascinating. For those that aren’t in tune with women’s soccer, the US team “flamed” out at the World Cup last summer, losing in the round of 16. This result came on the heels of dominating the sport for years and coming into the World Cup as a favorite. Their coach was fired, and it took several months for a new coach to be hired. While the hiring of Emma Hayes was applauded by almost everyone involved in the sport, the circumstances for the team continued to be less than ideal. Hayes wanted to stay in England and finish the season coaching her club team. That meant she would have only eight weeks to prepare the US women’s team before the start of the Olympic tournament.
This became the storyline of the women’s soccer tournament. Could Emma and the players return the US to glory after being together for only eight weeks? With each game it became more and more apparent that a good result, perhaps even a gold medal, was possible for the team. While Emma was receiving much of the attention, I was particularly interested in what the players were saying. Consistently, while listening to interviews, I would hear words and phrases like trust, confidence, focus, joy, and freedom to take chances and make mistakes. The star performers after each game talked about the contributions of their teammates, deflecting the spotlight from themselves. Players talked about motivational tactics that Hayes was using like showing a video of an ultra-marathon runner discussing how she gets through the mental and physical anguish of running a hundred-mile race.
I can’t help but think about this story and the US women’s soccer team through the lens of the workplace and the teams we lead or are part of where we work. I want to know all the things that Hayes did to get the players performing at a high level in such a short time. While that isn’t possible, I’m confident that Hayes was very intentional in her approach. And while the games itself were important, I don’t believe that was the sole focus. I imagine Hayes spent time defining the vision and goals, picking the right players, and developing roles for the star players to the last person on the bench. She focused on getting buy-in from players for these things and other changes that she wanted to make. All of this while building relationships with the players and fostering a commitment amongst the players to each other and the goals of the team.
These feel like lessons and important reminders for how we should approach working with our teams. The work we do is important. However, the process, the results, and the experience of team members are improved when our focus is on building the team. That doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intentional effort and commitment of time and resources. At times, it might mean doing something that is uncomfortable for the leader and team members. Like many other aspects of our work, we must evaluate what is working and adjust when we aren’t getting the intended result.
If you’re looking for practical ways to develop and build your team, try implementing one or two of the ideas from the list below. These and other team-building exercises may not earn you a gold medal, but you can improve the experience and outcomes for everyone involved.
- Develop a team motto or vision statement- Teamwork is enhanced when we have a shared objective. Many times, it becomes what holds a team together when things aren’t going well. And it helps to keep the focus on “we” and not “me”.
- Plan a retreat- Take the team offsite to focus on building personal relationships and identifying team goals.
- Complete DiSC assessments- The DiSC is a great way to not only build self-awareness but develop better understanding of people’s strengths within the team.
- Meetings- Incorporate team building opportunities into your routine meetings. Start meetings with an exercise that builds personal connections, as the leader recognize and celebrate good work, and create opportunities for team members to recognize each other. Emphasize the mission, vision and values of the organization.
- Read books and articles- Choose a book or article that the team can read and discuss together. Not only does it provide opportunity for individual learning and growth, but the group discussion provides opportunities for the team to get to know each other better.
- Social gatherings- Find ways to do things that aren’t focused on work. Have meals together during or after work. Find an activity (miniature golf, pickleball, pool) that the group can do together. Not everyone on the team must show up each time to make these meaningful.
- Celebrate- Routinely recognize individual and team accomplishments. Have a “special” break time when team members are having a birthday.