Building trust within a team. WDS14

"Build great relationships so you can build great products for a lifetime" 

Jonny Mack talked about team work and how great work is rarely the work of one person, it is a team effort. To be able to work well together you need trust, trust is the glue that will hold a project together.

"I'm passionate about building trust with my teammates, executing at speed, and creating amazing products that make the world a better place.”

 Jonny describes the two teams he worked with, one was his main work (main team) and the other a side project (Side team). These two teams had very different dynamics;

 

Main team

• In this team there was conflict and there was no way to deal with it.
• There was a strong hierarchy - which can prove to be a problem.
• They would keep things more secret, not much communication. Decisions were made behind closed doors.
• People had the opinion that it was someone else’s fault "if they would just do this then it would work”, passing blame.

 

Side team, was quite the opposite.

• In this team they they had very compelling discussions "they figured out how to disagree”.
• They tried hard to be social.
• There was trust.
• They would say when things bothered them, they would tell the person directly "when you do this I feel like this”.
• They would work as a team.
• Good communication.

There is no doubt which team was more rewarding to work for, and was in the end more efficient. The side team realised that they could make something better as a team than any of them could alone, so worked hard at the team dynamics and relationships. Jonny also commented that it was "Important to have side projects”.

 

Things we should think about before we start a project:

• Take a step back, set ourselves up to succeed. "If you want to work quickly and well, you need to set yourself up for success”.
• "In order to do good work, I had to bring the best of myself to the team"
• Collaborative work is better than your own. 
• Don't just jump straight in. take time to build your team.
• Before we jump into a project we should be thinking about the team dynamic.
• Work is just like painting a house, you need to prep the wall before you start painting.
• To create a good team there must be trust. Trust is the glue that keeps a team together. 

 

How to create more trust between teams...

• You need to have humility. You need to be humble. "Maybe I have a good idea but the other person might have a better idea". People will trust you if you can admit to being wrong. 
• If you want other people to trust you need to trust yourself - to do this you need to have knowledge about what you do. "You need to be an expert". So when you stand up in a meeting you know what you are talking about.
• Team building events. May sounds corny but they are good.
• "Consistency is huge" if you say you are going to do something, then do it.
• People like to be heard, so listen.
• Working in a team you need to work collaboratory.
• You need patience and respect - if you don't you can bring down team moral.
• You need trust the people you work with to be able to create good work

 

Teamwork process

Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing.

Forming- This is the beginning of a project, the team is just getting to know each other. 

Storming - This is where people have formed enough trust that they can start challenging each other, there can be a few arguments. This can be uncomfortable for those who don’t like conflict but it is an important stage. 

Norming - Agree on the rules and the direction of the project should be heading. This is where high level goals start to form.

Performing - This is where the best work happens. It where you have realisation that you are making things better than anyone could do on their own.