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the importance of working with a team
the importance of working with a team
For a time in my life, I loved indoor rock climbing. When I started I assumed it was a solo sport. I could just jump on the wall, get to the top, and then brag about it to all my friends while I flexed my newly toned biceps.
I learned quickly that's not how it works. Climbing is a team sport. Sometimes I was the person on the wall, other times I was the belayer. The belayer has a very important job; they hold the rope for the climber, double check the knot on the climber's harness, and provide feedback and suggestions. The belayer can see the wall from a different angle and that’s valuable. If the belayer drops the rope, screws up the knot, or provides the wrong feedback, when the climber falls they could hit the ground. As a belayer, you don't want to be the guy in the chair pictured here. It's a great way to watch someone get hurt.
I was belaying for a friend and when he fell 20 feet. He was almost at the top of a 60 foot wall, missed his last clip and his hand slipped off the hold. Thankfully, I was a good belayer. I provided feedback on the parts where he struggled, double checked the harness knot, and never took my eyes off of him. When he fell I caught him. He regrouped and tried again. He trusted me.
And when I struggled, I trusted him. Thanks to his feedback and caring, I took risks knowing he would catch me. I took his feedback to heart and climbed walls I thought I would never see the top of.
It's true we can accomplish a lot on our own. But through guidance and team building, the results a team achieves surpass the results of any single person. My climbing friends and I accomplished more through supporting each other as a team that we ever would have on our own.
In following sections, I cover in more detail how the themes of guidance, team building, and results I learned about in rock climbing can translate to working with any team.
Guidance
Guidance
Guidance, aka feedback, is incredibly important. Without accepting it I can't improve. Without providing it my team can't improve.
When I provide guidance, it's direct and from a place of caring. That doesn't make it easy to do but it does make it effective. My goal is always to keep people at the center of my work, and what could be better than helping someone improve?
It's even more important for me to accept feedback as a leader. I am not above guidance and if I can't take feedback, I shouldn't be giving it. It's my job to listen and take it to heart. If I do that, me and the team are more likely to succeed. And when we fail, we can talk about it and improve.
I recommend the entire book, but if you don't have time check out this blog post from Radical Candor about providing feedback (aka guidance): 6 Tips for Giving Helpful Feedback
team building
team building
Guidance is important, but without a team that trusts and cares for each other it could be seen as aggressive or condescending.
That's why team building is a must. You can't have teamwork if the team doesn't work.
So how do I do it? It doesn't need to be anything crazy like skydiving together (although that sounds fun), it can be simple. Talk with people on the team, get them to talk to each other, share an activity, any activity, together. It could be an escape room, an event, even a cup of coffee.
And as a leader, I need to take that first step and be vulnerable enough for others to get to know me. If in the office, I walk through and say hi to people and ask what they are up too. I find these impromptu conversations lead to a wealth of knowledge. For virtual teams, an instant message or quick phone call to say hi can accomplish the same thing.
Here's an article explaining the importance of team building from Forbes: Why Team Building is the Most Important Investment You'll Make
results
results
When the team trusts each other and feel they can provide guidance to me, they are more likely to accept my guidance.
No one person or their ideas are perfect, but with a team capable of providing and accepting feedback, that idea will turn into something great.
The bottom line, I'll get better results. I really believe I can succeed together with the team or fail alone. I choose to work with a team.
This article shares some tips for building teams and also highlights the improved results teamwork can bring: How to Improve Teamwork Collaboration in the Workplace
Help each other up
Help each other up
Whether it's a group of learners or learning professionals, leading with compassion and guidance is the path with the best results and it's the one I choose to take.
When someone on the team falls, I'll be there to help them out. And likewise, I expect them to provide guidance to me so I can continue to be the leader they deserve and choose to follow.
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