Tomorrow the 2008 National Football League (NFL) season begins when the New York Giants take on the Washington Redskins in the Hall of Fame game.  This is one of my favorite times of year, as the kids return to school, American Football is back on Sundays, and the beautiful changing of the seasons is about to begin (at least in New Jersey).

One of the elements I love about Football is the concept of team work.  In order to be successful in the NFL, or in any sport for that matter, you must work cohesively as a team.  It does not matter if you have all the best players in the world.  If you do not work as one, all of that talent will be wasted.  That’s a great segue into today’s topic:

Working together as a team

Whether it’s just with one other person, or an entire football team, learning to work as a team is extremely critical to attaining success in any business.  Nothing is more beautiful to watch than an entire team working in unison toward one single goal.

“Team work is not about the glory, it’s about the end goal.“

Sports is a great example of this.  In fact, another great team work sport, even more popular than American Football is, well, ‘Futbol’, otherwise known as Soccer in the United States.  Scoring a goal in soccer can be one of the most beautiful examples of teamwork that there is.  For example….

Did you notice the way the ball moves as if they are all one unit.  On some of these goals, you barely notice the goalie, because his presence did not matter.  He had no chance of making the save.  The team was too strong to be stopped.

Now, you don’t have to be a world renowned Soccer star to understand the concepts of good team work.  These concepts work for any type of team, especially in business. My partner and I are always battling to find the best way to work together as a team.  It can take some time to work out all of the kinks.  Below is a list of that I find helpful to make the ‘kink’ period a little smoother.  I believe these 7 tips will boost any team’s spirit, and help speed up the process.

Be Patient

One of the biggest things for me to overcome was my lack of patience.  There is no specific area you want to be patient in.  It is just a general rule.  Patience is key to developing a good team.  Everyone involved must understand that perfecting their team work is a process.  It takes time.

Focus on strengths, not weaknesses.

Sometimes people fall behind on the team.  They become the weakest link.  A weak team will chide this person, and make them feel responsible for the team failures.  However, a strong team will understand the weakest link needs help.  They will formulate their strategy around strengthening that weak link, and getting the most out of it they can.

A great example of this is the New England Patriots of the NFL.  If they feel like they will have trouble running the ball on a particular team, then they just throw the ball instead.  They formulate a weekly plan in order to maximize their advantages.  They disguise their weaknesses, and they focus on their strengths.  They lost only one game last year, and it was the Super Bowl.  They are widely considered the best team in Football year after year.

Put Down the Gavel!

We are all human.  It’s common knowledge that every one of us makes mistakes.  If a teammate makes a mistake, or has a mishap in judgment, try not to hold it against them.  If it becomes consistent, than that is a different story.  However, if it is just a one time event, or an honest mistake, try to just let it go.  Perfection is an unrealistic expectation in my opinion.  There is no perfect person, team, or anything else living that I am aware of.  Perfection is just a made up idea.  Life, however, is reality.  So when a teammate makes a mistake, remember that on a different day, that very well could be you.

Who is the Expert?

This tip is especially useful for creative teams.  I have learned from working with my partner that it is usually better to yield to each of our own areas of expertise.  For example, my partner is very experienced and talented in graphic design and basically art in general.  This has helped him become an incredible web designer.  I, on the other hand, am not a web designer.  I do not have the same experience, so therefore, I understand that I do not necessarily know better, I just may notice something that he has not.

When we are looking at a mock up of a web page he has created, occasionally I will have a difference of opinion.  Sometimes I may not like the color scheme, or maybe I think the color of the titles should be different.  The truth is, even if I think I do, I never particularly know what’s wrong, but I do know when something doesn’t feel right.

Instead of sticking to what I think is wrong, and declaring it’s my way or the highway, I begin to ask questions like…

‘Why are those titles red?’

‘Do you think they would look better in green, or no?’

‘What if we moved this over here?  Will that work?’

‘Do you think this area could be better, or are you saving that space for something?’

Instead of him changing to what I think, he begins to search for his own answers.  Now, he is answering his own questions and making decisions I would have never thought of.  Instead of challenging him, I begin to get him to think.  I begin to get him to see what I think I see.  Sometimes, he proves my opinions dead wrong.  [Actually, more often than not ]  However, in the end, we not only have a stronger product, we have a stronger team.

It’s Not What You Say, It’s How you Say It

This has always been my biggest problem.  Since I was young, I never was wrong for what I said.  It was always how I said it.  I guess that comes from being overly emotional at times.  My ego would tell me I am right, therefore I have the right to act like a lunatic.  That is not the best way to work, unfortunately for the ‘younger me‘.   I have worked most of my life at trying to say things the right way to people.  What I have found, is it works wonders.

What I try to do is concentrate on my goal, and not on what is said.  For example, if I know someone is wrong, that does not mean I have to call them out on it.  I may ask them if they knew of a different, better way.  Or I may say that that is a great way to do it, but we like to do it this way.  My point is, I do not make it an issue of right vs. wrong.  It is more an issue of options.

The other advice is to understand that everyone is different.  Some people like to e kept in line, others like not to be bothered.  So if one approach is not working, try a different approach.  It may be just what your team needs.

Trust is Key

This is a simple, but extremely important element.  If you do not trust the people on your team, then you are not going to be successful.  It is that simple.

I do not mean you have to trust them with your life, but you do have to trust in their abilities.  Micromanaging a teammate’s responsibilities only causes more stress on yourself.  Have faith in their abilities and try to learn how to get the most out of them.  But most of all, trust them.  Try to give them the confidence in themselves that they may otherwise be lacking.

Believe

Just like trust, this is a rather simple, yet utterly important concept.  You have to believe in your team.  You have believe that whatever goal you are trying for is reachable for your team.  Even if logic says otherwise, and people doubt you, you persevere on b/c you believe in your team.  There has never been the exact same team under the exact same circumstances before because it’s not possible.  There are similar circumstances, but never quite exactly the same.  So, if that is true, than the possibility of doing something no other team has is also there.

All you have to do is believe.

Can you help me continue this list?

The greatest things ever created in the world were done by incredible teams, not individuals.  Everyone plays their part in team work, and the stronger the team, the stronger the chance at success.  That’s why I am constantly trying to improve my teamwork skills.

It is in that spirit, that i ask you readers out there to continue to add to this list.  Any additions that you make are greatly appreciated.  My goal is to build the ultimate list of ways to improve and enhance teamwork for us all to benefit from.  Just leave any additions in the comments section below.

I figure, if we work as a team, we will get a much better list than I could ever write