Truth 67. Answers build teams

While it may be true that companies are built one hire at a time, teams within those companies are built by answers—answers that come via chunks of experience that demonstrate to employees in real-life terms that their efforts are well invested with their company. As we’ve already established, balancing on a telephone pole doesn’t guarantee the formation of a team. But the day-to-day pulling together toward a common goal will. It just takes more time. And a whole lot of answers to core questions that drive trust and performance standards will build quality teams over time.

These are the questions that really influence your team-building exercise. It’s not a matter of answering them “once and for all”—it’s a matter of answering them over time through the decisions and choices you make as the team leader:

• Will we be working on challenging assignments that are meaningful to us, both personally and professionally?

• Will we agree with each other most of the time about what excellence looks like in our goals and our behaviors?

• Can I trust my teammates to have my best interests at heart?

• Will I consistently care about my teammates to make the necessary sacrifices and exert the extra effort toward our shared goal?

• Can we trust our manager to add only new hires to our team who share our standards of trustworthy, high-quality behaviors and performance accountability?

• Can I depend on my teammates to be accountable for their job responsibilities and actions?

• Will my teammates inspire me to perform at my very best levels—and hold me accountable for strong performance standards?

• Can I trust my teammates to be tolerant and supportive if I fall short of a commitment or standard of behavior?

• Can we trust our manager to provide us with everything we need to do our best work?

• Can I count on being able to keep learning and continuing my professional development?

Real team building is an emotional journey that you can’t buy in a box or farm out to a consultant. It comes from a history of consistently kept commitments, shared goals met, standards enforced, and visions reignited with fresh passion and energy.

You have the power to build engaged teams motivated by trust and dedication to your mutual mission. No one is expecting you to have all of the answers all of the time. You’re only human, and you’re learning, too. But, as the engaged manager, you hold in your hands most of the right answers over time. And those answers will build the team of your dreams.