The Ten Commandments of Teamwork - ArdassociatesTen Commandments of Teamwork Introduction Mention...

Ten Commandments

of

Teamwork

Handbook

for the

Workplace

by Anthony R. Dziedzic

Ten Commandments of Teamwork

Introduction Mention the word team and most people think of an athletic club. But in fact, we all are part of a team; it’s impossible to not be part of a team. A team is formed whenever two or more people realize they are interacting to achieve a common goal. Let’s begin by identifying teams where we are a member. Marriage/Family Workplace Local Community (Schools, Places of Worship, Town/City) Extended Community (Country, World) Over the past thirty years, I have participated in over 80 information technology projects where most succeeded, a few failed and others succeeded when the odds were against it. What made the difference? I became aware, from both a staff and leadership perspective, that success was rarely the sole result of technology, but from the individuals forming the project team. When the collaborative skills of the team were utilized, the project's objectives were met and more often then not, exceeded expectations regardless of unexpected obstacles. Though this handbook focuses on teamwork at the workplace, the principles are applicable for any teams. Within this handbook there’ll be little that you don’t already know but it will serve as a reminder of what basic requirements are needed to have teamwork work. There’s no magic in creating highly productive teams. It’s a matter of staying

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the course in utilizing these guidelines to achieve the team’s purpose.

"Teamwork is so important that it is virtually impossible for you to reach the heights of your capabilities or make the money that you want without becoming very good at it."… Brian Tracy (American Trainer, Speaker, Author, Businessman)

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I. The Team must have purpose In my career the purpose of a project team was mostly defined to cut costs, increase revenue, or get a competitive edge. Often purpose becomes simply the goals of a team since defining a purpose can be elusive. Dee Hock, founder of VISA, states: “To me, purpose is a clear, simple statement of intent that identifies and binds the community together as worthy of pursuit. It is more than what we want to accomplish. It is an unambiguous expression of that which people jointly wish to become. It should speak to them so powerfully that all can say with conviction, ‘if we could achieve that, my life would have meaning.’ Making a profit is not a purpose. It may be an objective; it may be a necessity; it may be a gratification; but it is not a purpose!” 1 A point in time I led a team formed to upgrade the current operations software for a distribution company. Management defined the purpose of this project to reduce customer service response time and reduce error (cut costs and get a competitive edge). Some of the operations staff had gone through an upgrade about three years before and still roll their eyes when they think of the problems that they endured. Some of their comments: “It took about a year to get everything back to normal… There were some problems that were written off, never fixed… I know we’ve grown to where our present programs don’t provide us what we need, but I sure don’t look forward to 1“Reprinted with permission of the publisher, “Birth of the Chaordic Age”, copyright 1999 by Dee Hock, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., pg.6

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doing this again”. A project team of this nature generally consists of the project facilitators, expert resources (staff), department managers, and suppliers. Because of past experience there was an attitude of “I’m going to do this, but I’m not going to like it” among staff and even manager or two. It was left to me and my project staff to define our purpose. Within a couple of days, our purpose statement was framed and hanging in the employee lunch room. It read: “Upgrade Team Purpose: provide a more efficient and productive tool for the operations staff with no upsetting events.” As expected, the purpose statement was met with some apprehension and maybe a little cynicism. But as the weeks went on in getting the project ready to implement, the team held onto its purpose. It followed the straightforward guideline as presented here and was successful in achieving that purpose. Success is not only the result of reaching goals and benchmarks. It is the cognizance of team purpose reached through the visualization each team member has at the onset of defining purpose.

"If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else."… Yogi Berra (American Baseball Player)

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II. The visualization of Team purpose must be held by all Team members How do you visualize “increased profitability” or “reduce costs”? Defining a purpose that can be visualized becomes a snap when a team recovers the imagination they had as children. A point in time My oldest son was 12 when he agreed to attend the company picnic but only after I told him that there would be games where prizes are handed out. The annual picnic was enjoyable as usual. Management cooked a great BBQ. There was softball for the adults and games of chance and skill for the children. I was waiting for my turn to bat in a contested softball game when my son came by holding a CD player still in its packaging and asked if he could have the keys to the car. I asked where he got the CD player, he said, "I won it at the dart game". I congratulated him on his good luck and said, "After you put the CD player in the car, bring back my keys". He replied, "Oh, I'm not putting it in the car, I'm getting the CD's I brought with me". Dumbfounded, I asked, "You brought your CD's?" "Yeah, I knew I was going to win a CD player. That's why I came!" We visualize all the time, from our favorite sports team winning the championship to dating that someone special. But when was

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the last time we visualized success at the work place? Team leaders have an obligation to help the team visualize the team purpose. In the example of the previous chapter, the team members visualized purpose in the following ways: “I see myself smiling when trying to bring up an out-of-stock item” “I see not having a short lunch because Jim needed help to close out an order that exceeded the maximum items” “No more weekends spent verifying open orders and inventory” “I see Mr. Dillon congratulating me on the great job I did and giving me a bigger paycheck” Here’s another story of having purpose and vision that’s worth repeating… There were three bricklayers, one was methodically laying brick after brick with nary a smile and even though he was deliberate there was little regard to detail. Some bricks could have been better laid. Another was laying brick after brick with great concentration, and was spending some time to detail, being sure that the bricks he laid were aligned. In contrast, the third bricklayer was obviously having a good day smiling and laying nearly as many bricks as the other two combined and with greater accuracy. When the first bricklayer was asked what he was building, he replied, “I’m a brick layer not a builder”. The same question was asked of the second, where he replied tartly, "a wall". When the same question

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was asked of the third bricklayer, he responded "a majestic cathedral!" With purpose and its visualization, teams are better suited to meet the challenges of change and adjustment.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Proverbs 29:18

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III. You must commit to Team purpose Commitment… as with many words, there is more than one definition. The one that pertains most in this context is: The state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person or persons. When first joining a team, enthusiasm and energy is high. Individuals want to be accepted and respected by the other team members. After awhile, a let-down may come because expectations weren’t met. The job is performed but without the commitment and dedication the team first brought to it. A point in time My first job was as a printer’s apprentice in a local print shop. I was what would be considered today an “at risk youth”. This job was offered by my high school counselor on the condition that I stay “out of trouble”. Working as long as permitted, I did stay away from the influences that got me there. Late one afternoon, just before closing, I was cleaning the type and presses when my employer came back and leaned against the set-up table, held up a paper lunch bag and asked, “What can I get out of this bag?” Being in my teens, my first reaction was to say “OK, I’ll play your silly game” but what came out of my mouth was “I dunno”. “Come on… guess what you can get out of this bag?” Mr. Vernon asked again.

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I don’t remember exactly what I said but it was things such as “… lunch? …a watch?” Mr. Vernon shook his head “no” with each guess. Finally, I had no other guesses. Mr. Vernon put a big smile on, lifted himself off the set-up table, turned and as he started to walk away, said, “Only what you can put into it.” It was months before I went beyond the obvious and understood what he meant. A lack of commitment is rooted in the misalignment of the team’s purpose and the individual’s personal vision of their role within the team. Adhering to this guideline helps reinforce commitment.

"The reward of a thing well done is to have done it." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist)

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IV. You must know and accept your role within the Team “What do you do?” is a question that comes up almost always when we meet someone for the first time. And how do we respond? We usually give our job title, “I’m a senior analyst… vice president of production… CDL driver”. And the person we tell this to, nods with approval and comprehension, when all they really have is a preconceived idea what we do. This is acceptable in a casual setting but not when we are members of a work team. Whether you’re a member of a project, production, sales/marketing or service team, your role needs to be fully defined. Most of corporate America’s personnel departments have a library of job descriptions. Small businesses’ job descriptions are more likely to be given in conversation, where the new employee makes a valiant effort to understand what his/her responsibilities will be. In either case, job descriptions describe the “what you do” not “why you do it”. It’s the “why you do it” that’s important. When a team is first formed, job functions and how they interrelate are defined. A team with a solid structure will have the “weak link” (where failure is most likely to happen) identified. Each team member needs to understand how his or her role is vital to the success of the team. A point in time “This woman moans about everything we’re doing. I try to help but she completely refuses to cooperate. All I could do is walk away”, my senior analyst complained to me during the early stages of an upgrade project. I let him vent until

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he calmed down. I asked him, “What’s your next step?” He shook his head signifying that he had no idea. I asked, “What’s the team’s purpose?” He answered from rote. Then I asked what his role in this project is. He responded, “To have each production member understand and be comfortable with the changes that will occur with the upgraded software.” Which he then began nodding his head positively and walked away. The next day, as Ken and I passed each other I inquired about the issue he had yesterday with one of the production staff. “Got it resolved. This morning I asked her the same questions you asked me and she responded much like I did. We got the job done and she’s buzzing like a bee about how easy this was going to be.” Is knowing and accepting your role important to the team? You bet it is!

"Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood." Jr. Teague (1948-, North Carolina, State Legislator)

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V. Trust the Team, as you trust yourself Trust is the heart of a team. With it, teamwork works. Without it, competition becomes prevalent which in turn breeds ulterior motives and mistrust. The expression “there’s no ‘I’ in team” is overused but within that same context, there’s no ‘C’ in team either. Let’s say it again: “There’s no ‘I’ in Team”. It’s accurate in the obvious but the implied meaning; “to sacrifice personal gain for the team” does not reflect the real world of teamwork. In light of this implied meaning, perhaps we should remember there is more than one “I” in a team. It’s not as much sacrificing personal gain as not negatively affecting the other team members’ gain. The team profits when every “I” in team realizes gain. There’s no ‘C’ in team; ‘C’ is competition among team members. Competition is only good when directed inward. It then provides an avenue to perform at a higher level. That in turn produces conditions that promote optimum role execution from the other team members. By supporting rather than competing against each other, members of a group become a team. By sharing in the definition, visualization and commitment to team purpose, along with your acceptance and dedication of your role within the team builds a foundation of trust. A point in time Early in my career after a couple of days in the office as the newly hired Director of Information Technology for a mid-size distribution company, I sent an email to the


technology staff regarding the status of benchmarks and how any deviations were being handled. For the next few days everyone avoided me until finally at the weekly meeting I asked “what was going on?” They all thought the email requesting status was sent with a tinge of irritation. It wasn't of course, but it did bring to light the importance of trust within the team, especially in a leadership role.

"Trust begets trust; fear escalates fear." - Jack R. Gibb (1914-1995, American Management Consultant, Author) “Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people” – David Sarnoff (1891-1971, American broadcasting pioneer)

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VI. Communicate All successful teams have good communication skills. Teams focused in athletics, in implementing a work project, on political aspirations, or in the execution of military exercises all communicate to properly coordinate individual effort into team success. Communicating the expectations and status of tasks builds confidence and trust. And as we know, trust is the heart of a team. Communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages or information; an interpersonal rapport. The key word above is “exchange”. Whatever the form of communication (speech, writing, conduct), if the receiving parties do not acknowledge what has been received and the original sender does not acknowledge that what was received is what was being sent… they have not communicated. A point in time Bill handled all information technology change requests for years for a development/marketing subsidiary of a auto-care products company when I was contracted to research and analyze what software applications would be required for a five year growth plan. In my study, I was amazed at how people within the organization viewed Bill. They related to me that he never got anything done on time, if at all; that he would tell them anything just to get them off his back. I was amazed because I saw Bill as an extremely competent, hard-working individual. It wasn’t long before I saw why there such a gap in perceptions.

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Bill never complained. By accepting most requests, which he felt were viable, his work load increased until it became impossible to meet the expectations of the people he served. Because of budget restraints, he was unable to get the help he needed to fulfill his obligations. I conferred with Bill and suggested that he communicated his status better, which he agreed. After a few days, he wanted to stop giving a status because most individuals thought he was only giving excuses. I prompted him to stay the course. What Bill didn’t know was that whenever I was in contact with someone who would degrade Bill’s work, I would set the record straight and informed that person just what pressure Bill was under; the hours he worked went way beyond a standard work week; and that how conscientious Bill was in performing his job. After a couple of weeks the negative comments pretty near stopped and I wasn’t aware of how effective this communication became until we had concluded a project meeting when Bill’s most vocal detractor stood and offered an apology to Bill, stating that she had not known and therefore could not appreciate his contributions to the organization. Communication is the lifeline of a team. It is at its best when the first five of these guidelines are in place and actively pursued.

“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality

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of our lives.” Anthony Robbins (1960-, American Author, Speaker, Peak Performance Expert/Consultant)

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VII. When an issue arises, look first at how you may be contributing to it Every work team deals with issues and challenges. You know what I mean… problems! Unfortunately, we have evolved into a society where many leaders and therefore their team, sidestep the responsibility that their position demands of them. A team functions in top form, when everyone understands and accepts their share of an issue. A point in time Years past, I was an avid hiker; hiking the local mountain trails in Phoenix four or more times a week. One year in the spring, my hike on my favorite trail was interrupted by an aggressive bumble bee at the same spot in the trail every morning. Every encounter would have me swinging at this fairly large bee as I quickly moved on to get beyond his area. After a number of days, I was leaning toward hiking a different trail just to avoid confrontation with this insect. But instead, I thought of what else I may do. That morning, before beginning my hike, I actively pursued why was this bee being so aggressive and saw that I was the “problem”. My fear of being stung distorted my respect of a bee’s contribution. As I approached the bee’s area of contention, I silently affirmed my desire to pass through this bee’s domain peacefully, that I mean no harm to him and I just want to enjoy my time with nature as I pass though his home area.

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As I entered this area, to my surprise, the bee came quickly as usual but instead of swirling about me, he hovered about a foot from my face. I stopped and again silently acknowledged his presence and re-affirmed that I mean no harm and requested his permission to pass through his domain. After a few seconds, my friend, the bee flew upward and off to the side and let me pass. For the rest of that summer and into next year after a winter of hibernation, my bee would greet me and acknowledge my presence with a swift fly by my shoulder, never again to have an aggressive encounter. Issues arise but should not be compromised with the thought it’s someone else’s problem. The best solutions to resolve issues are found by using all of these guidelines.

"When the archer misses the mark, he turns and looks for the fault within himself. Failure to hit the bull's eye is never the fault of the target. To improve your aim -- improve yourself." Gilbert Arland (writer)

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VIII. Never blame We have all been blamed for something. If you didn’t do what you’ve been blamed for, anger and resentment become part of your consciousness. If you did what you’re been blamed for, shame and loss of self-confidence and the confidence of others are the result. Simply concentrate on solving the issue. Blame never solves anything A point in time As operations supervisor of municipal bond underwriting for a large Midwest bank, I was responsible for processing transactions in the millions of dollars. It was a job I really enjoyed. On one Monday morning, I walked into my office with cup of coffee in hand, I noticed a number of phone message notes (before voice mail became the norm) from the V.P. of municipal bond underwriting from our New York City member bank. The phone rang just as I sat down and when I picked up it was Jim from New York. There was no greeting of any kind only a terse “where the hell is the money for Friday’s syndicate?” Jim was obviously very upset. He continued his ranting with threats and accusations until he slammed the phone down. This was not the way to start a day. I reviewed Friday’s log and found where the problem resided and of course it was on their side of the transaction that the failure occurred. When I called back, I really wanted to let into Jim as he let into me, but because of his position and the fact that I would probably be fired, I was very diplomatic in presenting the problem. At first he was resistant to accept my findings but finally stated he’ll verify my findings.

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I notified my supervisor of the situation. He assured me that everything would be OK but it never was OK again. I never received an apology or even an acknowledgement of the resolution. I felt I had no respect from the New York office and when a transfer to another department (computer department) was offered to me, I took it. Most “problems” are mistakes that might have carried the best intentions or possibly an assumption of the worst case. I have NEVER met a team member who intentionally jeopardized the team.

“All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy.” Wayne Dyer (1940-, American Psychotherapist, Author, Lecturer)

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IX. Always select the solution that best contributes to the Team purpose Are you wondering why something so obvious is a precept? How many times was this not the case? Have you experienced solutions being decided that were based primarily on multi-page decision charts, the influence of a team member with many years experience, or “because I’m the [department head, manager, supervisor] and the decision rests with me”? A point in time A tight schedule was the usual for this computer engineering firm but for one specific client it was close to impossible. The winter holidays were just around the corner and we looked forward to time off. A couple members of the project team even planned on taking vacation time. So when a change request came with a schedule extension that would compromise holiday time off, we were forced to put in extra time over the holidays to meet the new delivery schedule. Not being a senior member of the team, I felt my expected time off would be not an option but to my surprise at our next team meeting the project manager opened this situation for discussion. Opinions of what our obligations were abound. To keep us on track, Jim the project manager kept reminding us of our commitment to the project’s goals. We were deadlocked in our opinions of letting the schedule slip or meeting the scheduled delivery by giving up much of our holiday time, when Cathy asked “Isn’t our client a team member? Shouldn’t they have a say in this?”

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Jim immediately got his counterpart on the phone and filled him in on our discussion. We didn’t have a speaker phone, so we weren’t able to hear the conversation, and Jim’s facial expression was that of a pro poker player. Ending his conversation, Jim turned to Cathy and complimented her on suggestion and turned to the group and informed us that our client has given us full control of setting a new schedule that will best serve our purpose. The schedule was delayed two days. The best solution has every team member committing to it, even though there may be reservations. This commitment can only be expected when each team member is given the opportunity to express his or her valued opinion on how an issue is resolved.

"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Will Rogers (1879-1935, American Humorist, Actor)

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X. Remember: a Team's strength is in it's diversity of knowledge, experience and personalities We know this but many times it’s forgotten when conflict arises. Conflict builds confidence and character but only when it does not come at the expense of another team member losing. It is important to be aware of the difference between compromise and concession. A point in time A well respected southwest trucking company found itself mired in uncooperative behavior between dispatch, administration, mechanics and drivers. It wasn’t exactly intentional, but even with the best of efforts the situation continued until I was called in to offer some suggestions. We began with management meetings to discuss the concepts presented in the Ten Commandments of Teamwork and quickly moved with meeting with associates from each of the departments to discuss the behavior issue and how by following these guidelines of teamwork this issue would be eliminated. In the course of these meetings, many topics of dissatisfaction were discussed. As each item was brought forward, it was asked “does this behavior/action/talk serve the team purpose?” Almost immediately everyone became aware that change was necessary. We also acknowledged that people usually had a job that fit their personality best and that at times is the base of conflict. When the thought of a driver doing an

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administrator’s job or vice versa was brought up, it was clear to all that remembering each job is as important as the next and to be more aware of the differences needed to meet the team’s purpose. Recognizing and supporting the diverse attributes of each member brings out the best in all of us.

"To each man is reserved a work which he alone can do." Susan Blow (1843 -1916, Kindergarten teacher)

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Summary I hope you found these guidelines helpful in your pursuit of teamwork. My clients’ team members and myself carry a laminated business card imprinted with the Ten Commandments of Teamwork in our wallets and when an teamwork issue arises, out comes the card and the commandment number or numbers are given to identify where the source of the issue lies. It’s gratifying to hear comments like, “yesterday we had a number eight and addressed it immediately”; “we first looked at nine and found later that it also was a ten”; and from a new associate “my wife couldn’t believe a trucking company would have teamwork guidelines, especially like these”. The beauty of these guidelines is that even if they are not used by other team members you can use them and still derive benefit. They are effective in any category of teams. Remember: when you come to work and do your very best for that day and you support your fellow team member do their very best for that day, you’ll be following the Ten Commandments of Teamwork.

Thank you. Godspeed

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Date post:	20-Feb-2021
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