How do you make your team more productive and successful?
I’ve been watching a show called Barnwood Builders. It’s on the DIY Network and it’s one of those shows we call reality TV. I know, reality TV is not necessarily reality, but in this case, it does provide a great example of a good team.
The Barnwood Builders are a team who disassemble old buildings that were made of hand hewn logs. They carefully tag each log, then remove it and set it aside. When they have completely disassembled the building, they transport the logs to a new location and rebuild the structure. In the process, they repair anything that has rotted or broken while always maintaining the historic integrity of the original structure. Many of the buildings they take down and rebuild were built in the 19th century.
What they do is artistry. It’s hard work and requires unique skills. But just as impressive is the team itself. Mark Bowe, the team leader, has assembled a team that works well together and watching them, you can clearly see three aspects of a great team.
Team cohesion and mutual respect
This sort of work is not something they teach in a high school shop class. It requires an understanding of old building techniques, an appreciation of wood, skill with a wide range of tools, and sometimes simply brute force. These buildings were built to stand for a long time. They certainly weren’t made to be taken apart like Lincoln Logs.
Each team member has certain skills, but any team member will jump in and help out wherever they are needed. They respect each other’s capabilities and know they can rely on each other. Often, the job is dangerous and that mutual respect and trust allows them to confidently work together in those hazardous situations.
How do you encourage cohesion and respect in your teams? Just like the Barnwood Builders, it’s essential to recognize individual skills and contributions, building that atmosphere of respect and trust. Maybe your team doesn’t balance themselves ten feet in the air while manhandling logs weighing hundreds of pounds, but think of the ways that mutual respect and trust would make your team more effective.
Do you show that you respect your team members and their contributions? Equally as important, do you stop disrespect immediately? That isn’t to say your team can’t have conflict. Just make sure the conflict is constructive and stays positive. As soon as conflict becomes negative, bad things will start happening.
Let them do their job
Mark Bowe is a master at setting expectations for the team. Before the project starts, he has surveyed the building and decided what its future will be. Then, at the beginning of the project he clearly states the desired end state, where there may be problems, and the dangers the team will face. That doesn’t mean Mark won’t help out, he does, but during the project, Sherman, the foreman, is in charge and Mark backs off and lets him get the job done. Keep in mind that this is Mark’s company and he has a large financial stake in the success of each project so it would be easy for him to want to make all the decisions and give all the direction. But he doesn’t.
Sherman treats everyone with respect. He doesn’t give orders as much as he makes requests. “Can you do…” or “Why don’t you…” It’s that kind of leadership that lets the team know he respects their abilities. Also, I believe he approaches his leadership role in a calm manner which helps everyone else stay calm, making a dangerous workplace safer.
How about you? Do you let your team do their job? Do you clearly state the goal and what you expect? Do you tell them up front about any dangers or obstacles you see? Then, do you back off and let them do their job?
This is even more critical when you lead a team of teams. Making each team leader responsible and accountable for their own team and its results will make them better leaders.
When you’re the leader and your future rides on the team’s actions it’s very easy to become a micro-manager, injecting yourself into every aspect of the team’s work. All that does is frustrate the team and make them less effective. Let the team do their job!
Have fun
The Barnwood Builders obviously have fun and enjoy what they do. Even with rain, cold, mud, and projects running behind schedule, there doesn’t seem to be much conflict and the team members appear to genuinely like each other.
How about your team? Do they have fun? I know, not everything you do is fun. But, do you try to have fun, even with the difficult tasks? Years ago I was part of a team undergoing a military inspection of our ability to pack up and deploy. We had developed a system to make the process as easy as possible, but were criticized for having too much fun. The inspectors felt we were not taking the task seriously enough. What they didn’t seem to be able to correlate is that we completed the task in less than half the time allotted because we had found a way to make it fun.
A complaint I often hear is that as a team leader you were not able to select your own team. I’ve led and been part of many great teams and I never got to pick the people I worked with. Occasionally I did have to remove a team member, but for the most part, it was pot luck. The teams still worked because members developed mutual respect, understood the goal, and in most cases, learned to have fun together. Your team can too.
Develop cohesion and mutual respect, let your team and team leaders do their job, and have fun. That’s a pretty good formula for team success.
Go to the DIY Network and watch Barnwood Builders. Pay close attention to the way the team works together. What do you see? How can you use their example to make your team more productive and effective?
