The Toolbox for Teams, by Patty Hendrickson

All those words in the case studies and the best selling books make it sound so simple. As if . . . ta da! . . . the donning of the title "A Team" miraculously transforms a group of human beings into an efficient, cohesive working group. Beyond the buzzwords and titles, what is at the core of building a team? How do you move from team work to teamwork? How does it come together?

Imagine each member of your group comes to the project with a personal toolbox full of skills, talents, resources and ideas. If you've got a group that engages in "team work", members individually use their own tools inside their own boxes and contribute what they can. They are productive but limited by the contents of their own toolboxes.

If you've developed a group adept at "teamwork", members open up their toolboxes for use by the entire group. There's a cooperation and sharing that recognizes the group is worth more than the sum of its individual parts. The team operates as a cohesive unit that uses all the best individual assets of its members.

Your team's greatest asset is the collection of individuals' skills and talents. Whether you're serving on a project team at work or as an association leader, the same team-building principles apply.

Some members who come to a team for the first time don't know the power of teamwork. In fact, they may come to the team clutching their toolbox to their chests, fearful of losing any turf. To experience teamwork, all members must fully open their toolboxes.

If there is something you need from my toolbox, you can use it. It's at your disposal! And I can find a particular tool or resource I need in your toolbox. We both know if we keep our toolboxes to ourselves, we simply have one. But by sharing and trusting we have two. Not to mention the magic of synergy that happens when we work together.

We bring our uniqueness to the team in our toolboxes full of personal shortcomings and strengths. For example, Pat is challenged by the fax machine, let alone attempting to manipulate data on the computer. Terry simply doesn't like details. Chris takes a long time to understand a process. Lee often misses deadlines. These personal traits sometimes cause them to fall short of their own personal expectations.

When Pat, Terry, Chris and Lee come to the group, somehow they need to trust one another enough to show all they have to offer to the team -- the good and possibly the bad. How can we help our team members feel comfortable enough to open their toolboxes? How can we help them trust themselves and others to show all they have to offer? How do we build trust within the group? This is the bottom line.

There is no patented answer. No quick solutions. The process of teamwork is a fluid one. It takes a commitment of time and energy from everyone. Here are some suggestions to help build your team's toolbox.

Be inclusive and welcome diversity. The welcoming and acceptance of each team member is a must. Team members are like puzzle pieces of many sizes and shapes. We have to learn the strengths and the shortcomings of the pieces to discover how they best fit together.

In team building workshops, I give each member a huge puzzle piece. Their challenge is to find a team where they belong by joining pieces. After members find what they think is their team, I show them that the pieces fit together in at least one other way. Each person identifies with the obvious large name and color on the front of their puzzle piece. However, when they look closer, they see the other information and different ways they could blend as teams. Being inclusive helps us discover different ways to work together and enjoy others.

Recognize habits and behaviors. Team meetings and brainstorming sessions can become repetitive with the same people sharing information about the same issues. Be aware of emerging behaviors. What are some of the normal behaviors in your team or work environment? Maybe everyone has assumed an unofficial seating chart. Or maybe the process of sharing information always travels clockwise in meetings.

Teamwork is a fluid process that challenges the status quo. The simple recognition of habits and behaviors gives you power over them. Look for ways to break the rules and stretch out of your normal habits and behaviors. When team members are curious enough to challenge processes, it builds camaraderie. Challenge the team to challenge the status quo.

Focus on strengths and applaud the efforts of others. Members take both big and small risks. It's a scary new process for some people who fear giving up their turf to the team. Members may feel the need to protect their sacred turf--their job. Working openly with others is different because it requires change and makes some people apprehensive.

We must appreciate the risks members take. Any glimpse of sharing must be recognized and applauded. The more positive reinforcements, the better. Michael LeBoeuf's Greatest Management Principle says it all: "The things that get rewarded get done." Because of the risks involved in building a solid team, you must look for every opportunity to applaud others for every effort from the minuscule to the magnificent.

Share information many times in many ways. Opening everyone's toolbox makes everyone's skills available to the entire team. The power of the team lies in the variety of skills. The differences are actually the benefit. A greater variety of skills means greater resources. Like the many skills, the team also has a variety of learning styles. So much of the team's success stems from individuals embracing the big picture. We need to share our efforts in every possible way to let every team member see, touch, hear and affect that big picture. When we're asking members to give so much, we have to work hard to share information so everyone understands.

Bring your best to the team. People need to share what they have in their toolboxes. In Further Along The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck writes: "Do what you feel called to do, but also be prepared to accept that you don't necessarily know what you're going to learn. Be willing to be surprised by forces beyond your control, and realize that a major learning on the journey is the art of surrender." This acceptance and art of surrender to the process of team building is the ideal role model for all team members. Bringing your best helps everyone.

Build trust by building relationships. Team members need time to share formally and informally with each other. They need time together in smaller groups as well as with the entire team. They may have worked together for many years, but there is still so much to learn about each other.

Before diving into the teams' challenges, members need time to discuss expectations of themselves, other members and the collective team. This takes time, but it's the place where all members begin to see the part they play in the team. Building trust takes time. And trust is the foundation that builds teams.

Teamwork is a new experience for many. Some members come to the group without a positive expectation because they've never experienced teamwork. When members trust themselves and each other enough to show the contents of their toolboxes, with all the positives and negatives, the group has the potential to work as a team.

©1996 Patty Hendrickson