Companies that record significant success are, usually, the ones made up of great and effective on teams.
What actually, matters, is not the, who, or, a number of members, that you have on your team, but how the team works together to achieve the common goals and objectives of the company.
Companies with, even, top-rated players, will find it difficult to succeed, if they do not work, to collaborate effectively.
Not quite long, Google went on a mission, to find out what makes a team successful.
The study was code-named, Project Aristotle, in tribute to one of his famous quotation, “The whole, is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Google analysed a number of teams, after deciding on measuring quantitative and qualitative data, as the criteria for assessment.
The team’s effectiveness got evaluated in the following ways:
- executive evaluation
- team leader evaluation
- team member evaluation
- sales performance against quarterly quota
Below are some of the results that the researchers from Google discovered:
Humility: Humility does not translate to hiding behind people and not wanting to stand up, or, speak out to hold down your opinion.
It is simply, realising that, you are not an island of knowledge and you are ready to lay aside ego and learn from others.
Asides this, it also infers that, irrespective of the situation, you are willing to admit this, by saying this difficult phrase, “I’m sorry”
Transparency: Working together in a team, people do not like secrets being kept, especially, on the part of the leader, withholding information.
Subordinates too, should not withhold information.
Team members do not like being kept out of the loop, such that, they are confused about developments around the company.
It is better that, the vision is made clear to everyone on the team, right from the onset.
Let your team members have access to the relevant information they require, to enable them to be at their optimal best.
Sincere Commendation: An average human, likes to be praised and recognised for a job well done.
When your colleagues observe that you sincerely appreciate their work, by default, they will be motivated to be engaged in achieving more, through their involvement in more activities.
Do not just throw random praises, but be specific about it and let those commended realize what you appreciate about them.
Everyone at a point deserves commendation.
Be Authentic: Nobody likes fake personalities; we are easily drawn to people who keep things real.
People, who are not perfect and yet admit it, are ready to show their imperfections, since they realize that not all persons are perfect.
Authenticity is the game and it implies that, you say what you mean and act it out, without compromise.
Other things discovered on effective teams are trust, listening, empathy and setting an example.
You can also read up lessons young entrepreneurs can learn from Google’s success here.