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Teamwork when executed well teaches us the value of working together; cooperating for the common good and united in the direction and the destination we are headed. An exceptional team can achieve far more than the individual parts that make it up. As the acronym for goes 'together everyone achieves more'.



So what makes the difference?

Great teams generally have the following components;

• Mutual trust and respect for each other.
• Complete support and open communication with one another.
• A clear leader who is a coach.
• A shared vision and agreed goals in place with clear performance markers and milestones to assess progress along the way.
• Shared responsibility-the leader may not necessarily have all the answers but the team will.
• Standard agreed processes and practices in place.
• Absolute commitment to growth and excellence having an 'edge' which is a desire and a belief and a willingness to do whatever it takes!
• Fun...they enjoy working together and they celebrate together.
• Results

Challenging economic conditions over the last 18 months have no doubt reinforced the importance of teamwork in the workplace. It is generally in times of adversity that you really begin to appreciate and value what true teamwork is all about. Downsizing and re-structuring brings uncertainty and fear and people are encouraged to pull together to stay focused and productive. Its a fact that whilst many companies actively promote the idea of teamwork around their organisations and in their attraction strategies, the reality is often somewhat different. Many leaders are still busy creating and legitimising overtly competitive rather than cooperative and truly collaborative environments in the hope that the strongest survive.

Observing nature can teach us a lot about the principles of both great teamwork and survival of the species.
Checkout the Lessons from the Geese.

As each goose flaps its wings it creates uplift for the others behind it. By flying in a V formation the whole flock adds 71% flying range than if each bird flew alone.

Lesson 1:
People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are travelling on the trust of another.

When a goose falls out of formation it suddenly feels the drag and the resistance of trying to fly along and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front.

Lesson 2:
If we have as much sense as the geese we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go and be willing to accept their help as well as give ours to others.

When the goose gets tired it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.

Lesson 3:
It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership with people as with geese, we are interdependent on each other.

The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

Lesson 4:
We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging and not something else.

When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is able to fly again or dies. Then they launch out on their own with another formation or catch up with the flock.

Lesson 5:
If we have as much sense as geese we too stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.