Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Unity is defined as the state of being united or joined as a whole. Every company wants to believe that they are united as a team, but not every company proactively works to achieve the reality of effective collaboration. Working effectively as a team, with common goals, is vital for any team or organization to achieve success. It is directly correlated with the quality of work you produce as well as the group’s morale. With that being said, creating a unified team and preserving this cohesion is critical, but what specific steps can we take to make it happen?
Creating and fostering team unity among any organization starts at the top, where leaders work to align the visions of a group. The president, manager, or captain will convey goals that the group hopes to achieve. It is then the responsibility of the team to comprehend the goal and accept their role in working to achieve the common goal. When this is the case, the company or team’s visions are aligned, and you are on track towards achieving your goals, both short and long term.
The concepts behind team unity and sharing a common vision were especially important at BlackBridge this week. During our daily morning meeting on Monday, Jason, the President of BlackBridge, informed the sales team of a promising opportunity he uncovered. He requested that the sales group focus less on certain aspects of our business and working individually, and focus solely on this new opportunity. It may seem like the opportunity cost of focusing on one opportunity may be high, given we may be losing out on various other potential opportunities. Taking opportunity costs into account is definitely a logical thought process (and is underutilized by many organizations; the value of time and missed opportunity and delays due to lost focus is often undervalued). But in this case at BlackBridge, the potential of this new sales opportunity was so significant that the whole team immediately agreed to shift gears and focus on the new opportunity while putting a few other things on the back burner.
With our visions aligned, we worked together and it really helped streamline our buying and selling process. We were able to work more efficiently and it resulted in us generating several successful deals this week. It helped boost morale in a tough market and most importantly, reinforced the importance and benefits of working together.
There are several risks that arise when your organization does not have aligned visions between the leadership and the rest of the team. First of all, you’re more likely to waste time. If people don’t understand how their job fits into the larger vision, they might feel confused or disorganized, and this leads to delays and missed opportunities. Second, sometimes people on the team might feel resentful if they feel like their favorite projects or priorities are getting passed over or replaced by whatever new thing the leadership team wants to pursue. Leaders need to achieve buy-in and really listen to the ideas and feedback of the rest of the team – make sure the team is as enthusiastic about the new plan or change of direction as the leaders are.
In conclusion, for any organization or team to grow or succeed, you must unite under a common set of principles and goals. Leaders must take initiative and stay vigilant to ensure team unity is preserved and that the various members or groups of a team or organization share the same vision and understand their roles. When the team shares a sense of unity and a common vision aligned with their leadership, the organizations in prime position to succeed and grow, just as BlackBridge experienced firsthand this week.
