https://unsplash.com/photos/a-group-of-friends-at-a-coffee-shop

Part 2 of 8 in the significant seven teaming questions.

Part 1 was titled Is Your Team Teaming. It can be found on my website (timshaw.co.za under Shaw to Shore articles).

This second part is around the question the team needs to answer – why do they get out of bed in the morning and go to work?

Teams comprise groups of unique individuals who are required to come together around a common purpose, to make the magic happen. This requires an expected shift from me to we, easier said than done as tasks include the integration of individual and team needs.

Team members trapped in the weekly rut of going to work and back, work and back, work and back, work and back, work and back …  ah weekend – they will do nothing more, perhaps a little less. The behaviours are befitting of misfits or people who have not bought into the teams’ purpose.

Knowing why you do something is crucial to fostering meaning. It permeates everything you do as it originates from an ownership mentality and a good attitude, especially evident when the going gets tough.

I recall the story about a team of janitors at NASA when they were launching an Apollo space rocket. A delegation of dignitaries who had been invited to watch the launch were busy making their way through a long passageway towards the launch-pad when one of them stopped and asked a janitor, “So what do you do here?”. “I help land people on the moon,” he replied.

Help team members to internalise their purpose, otherwise enjoy herding cats!

I am the author of Leading Self and Others (how to make a difference where you are with what you’ve got) and Teaming with ideas (life lessons in teams – from business, sport and parkrun). You can contact me here.