The title of last week’s blog was Team Building Is Not a Mystery1 and I addressed the successful team building efforts of a local realtor. If there is no mystery or secret, then what is necessary to develop a team? Are you stuck in the mud like the person being rescued in the photo and you do not know how to grow your team? This article lists three critical elements that must be in place to have a professional, proficient, and efficient team.
Integrity and Trust
I believe the key to team building is addressing the leader’s integrity and level of trust. If the first is lacking, then the second will be absent. In my book The Furnace of Leadership Development I wrote, “Integrity is the rock-solid foundation of leadership.”2 Leaders who have strong character develop trust amongst team members and they build upon that foundation. Conversely, leaders who lack integrity are not trusted and team members will not perform to their best abilities. We must look in the mirror and assess what foundation our character is built on.
Allow Dissent
Do you want to see your team shrivel up and never say anything to you? Then close the avenues of communication and do not allow any dissent. World War II general and later President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Let us never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.” The astute, secure, and mature leader who knows their team will be able to discern the difference between the two.
There’s More to the Story
Integrity, trust, and allowing dissent are critical components for team building. However, there is much more to add, and I will cover two more points in next week’s blog. Leave a comment about your experiences with team building and development and reach out to me at info@impactusleadership.com as I would love to discuss this in more detail with you.
1Team Building Is Not a Mystery – Impactus Leadership
2Rick Davis, The Furnace of Leadership Development (Loveland, CO: Java House Publishing, 2019), 18.
