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All of us talk of teamwork.
Sports thrive on teams. Every business wants to develop winning teams. Every president or prime minister brings his own team.
But what is the importance of teams?
From many business owner's perspective, a team is needed because a lone person cannot handle all the work. So they gather different experts, create a team, sit back, and hope that the team will bring in great results in short order.
But many times, the team proves to be a dismal failure.
Why?
Let us talk of human psychology for a moment.
Ego is the easiest way to kill the team spirit. Why should I work under him? Why should I give in and accept what is said? What I say is correct and all of you are out of your senses!
Do you remember playing with jigsaw puzzles? Unless every piece fits together, you will never get the whole picture.
The same with a good team. When a person is only worried about their ego, their motivators are purely selfish. Unless every person is on board for the success of the team and the project, it will fail.
Whether the piece is small or big, whether you think it looks good or bad, it has its place in the picture and you must fit in even the smallest piece to get the picture right.
Even if one of the team members is the sharpest and smartest person going around, if she has no respect for the other members of the team, the team will not achieve results.
Respect for individuals is one of the most essential parts of a good team. Trying to take care of each other's weaknesses and complementing them with your strengths will bring a balance. Appreciating the smallest achievement and ignoring each other's mistakes will make the team more amicable and more enjoyable to work on.
Another aspect of a good team is that you are all working towards a common goal. The goal that excites every member, the one everyone wants to achieve, is the one that fires their imagination. This helps get everyone excited about the work that they are performing leading to not only increased moral but increased productivity.
Goals are among the first and the most essential part of a team's success. When a goal is completed, even a moderate sized one, everyone feels like a winner. If a team is not motivated to achieve a goal, that team will fail.
A team is made up of individuals; however, by working together they are able to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together utilizing their strengths. By doing this, they are able to see the end result - the picture - the goals they need to achieve.
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Patrick S. Frazier, CBC 
