ABSENCE OF TRUST

Absence of trust renders true teamwork essentially impossible. Trust is the foundation upon which teams are built. Without out, members conceal their weaknesses and hesitate to ask for help, essentially ruining the chance of teammates working together in unison. On the other hand, teams with a strong sense of trust in one another create a safe environment to speak up and rely on each other.

Do you think trust is necessary for a functioning team? If so, how would you go about developing it?

DR. KATHLEEN PIKE

"...rules and regulations and policies are like putting bumpers up in the gutters of a bowling alley. It keeps you from getting a gutter ball, but it doesn't get you a strike. It doesn't help you achieve your optimized aim, which is to get the ball straight down the lane and get a strike. Of course, you need a lot of skills to get the ball straight down the lane. But foundationally, it requires trust, because you can achieve great things organizationally once you have people who trust that the organization has their back, who trusts that they share values, who trust that they understand the vision of the organization, who trust that they will be recognized and supported, recognized for their success, supported when they're struggling, and held accountable"

Do you participate in any team building activities?

MILITARY SPECIAL OPERATIONS OFFICER

"I learned important lessons in life from sports that gave me success in the Navy:
1. Spend time together in practice. SEAL teams go on training trips a lot to deepen relationships.
2. Softball games, speedball, and basketball are good options. Some platoon members don’t like to play sports but I mandated them to – being athletic isn’t something all of them liked.
You need to learn to work together. It was easy to spot the guys who didn’t play team sports growing up. They needed that experience of working together for a common purpose like you would on a sports team."