Teamwork makes the dream work. When it comes to a picture of outstanding teamwork, one image that may come to mind would be of a Formula One (F1) team. Winning the championship doesn’t just depend on the person behind the wheel, far from it. Winning or losing depends on the whole team and each member has a specific and important role to play.
For the most of us, our jobs require us to work together with our colleagues as well as our superiors. Teamwork is not birthed overnight and requires intentionality when it comes to nurturing it and building up high-performing teams. According to Spurgeon (2016), simply adding numbers to a team is not what makes the team productive.
Although having more people in a team could lead to greater efficiency, it certainly is not the key to efficiency and effectiveness. Hiring people, regardless of their qualifications, academic backgrounds and skill sets, is just the beginning. Integrating them into the team and building the team into a united functioning unit is what contributes to the team and company’s overall success.
There is much that can be learnt from how these world-class teams operate. Work life may never be the same again!
Lesson 1 : Intentionally get to know your team members!
This helps to break the ice, remove any feelings of uneasiness and encourage more communicationwithin the team. Building friendships in and out of the office will give you a great start.
Lesson 2 : Team members are aware of how they fit in the big picture!
A high-performing F1 team is one whereby each team member has a specific role to play and is aware of this role as well as how it fits in the grand scheme of things. This would inculcate in them a greater sense of ownership of the team’s performance and can motivate them to improve and perform to the very best of their capabilities in that role.
Lesson 3 : Communicate, communicate and communicate!
In a team where each member or groups of members have specific roles to play, communication within the team becomes even more important as information needs to be transferred constantly throughout the team. Seamless transfer of information keeps the whole team updated and enables team members to act in the best way possible.
Lesson 4 : Embrace failure as a stepping stone to success!
However, it is an undeniable fact that failure at some points is inevitable. A high-performing team is one that embraces such failure as a team and takes the necessary steps to learn and improve from it!
High-performing teams need to be carefully crafted and this does not happen overnight. Here at MRS, we have built up a well-established teambuilding series known as our Teamcraft series. Together with our highly-experienced and enthusiastic trainers, you would definitely be in for a thrilling and fun experience that is sure to propel you and your teams further on in your journey to becoming a great team.
To find out more, click here.
References
Spurgeon, C 2016, ‘What makes a winning team?’, The New York Times, 2 September, viewed 25 June 2019, <https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/03/sports/autoracing/what-makes-a-winning-team.html>.
Morgan, S 2017, ‘F1 experiences features ten teamwork skills we can learn from Formula One®’, F1 Experiences, 30 August, viewed 25 June 2019, <https://social.f1experiences.com/10-teamwork-skills-we-can-learn-from-formula-one>.
About the author
Melissa Ann Liew holds a Degree in Bachelors of Business (Accounting) from Swinburne University of Technology (SUTS). She is currently pursuing her postgraduate studies at SUTS, in ACCA, to progress further in her journey to becoming a Chartered Certified Accountant. In her university days, she was an active volunteer, organising and co-leading various events hosted by SUTS and is well-acquainted with working in teams.She is currently also doing content writing for MRS Management.
- Share: