Yesterday, I was at a friend's house. As our sons played together, we started discussing parenting skills. As the world continues to evolve around them, we both agreed that the ability to work in teams would be critical in the future.
That led me to thinking about life in our company. On a regular basis, we are often a member of multiple teams. There is a very interesting dynamic to groups. Even if you are the leader, you often are unable to declare a specific direction for the team. There are bound to be competing points of view and many other persons who will eventually have some say in the matter. They may not agree with what you think or how you perceive a problem. Inevitably, there are going to be compromises along the way.
Sometimes the problem is internal. I know that there have been situations in my own life where I felt very strongly that the team should take a particular direction. I was unable to convince the larger group and we headed down another path. It is extremely difficult to separate out the personal feelings of disappointment from the professional demeanor we are encouraged to maintain at all times. Still, I had to remember that the group was the decision maker in this situation, not me.
One of the key lessons I learned in the military was that it is the job of every team member to make the larger group as strong as possible. When you are in charge, you are supposed to take charge. When you are following, you are supposed to provide active input and do nothing to undermine the leadership. You are free to disagree up until the point a final decision is made. At that point, you accept the decision and do your best to make that decision work positively for everyone involved.
I'm not sure exactly how to teach that type of skill. I guess the easiest way for now will be to practice it myself.
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