THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT BUILDING A GREAT TEAM

Teams are what drives success. Sport teams, rock bands, startups. Each one has the potential to rise or fall based on the group of people that share the same passion and goals.
Being a huge sport fanatic, I grew up knowing the importance of having a great team. Michael Jordan, Brett Favre and others were lucky to have fantastic talent as well as great teammates who helped them become the best they could be.
In the past few years, I’ve had the chance to be a part of several teams in both my professional and personal life. When my partners and I started working on Swayy, I finally understood the meaning of having an excellent team where each team member contributes his skills, knowledge and personality for the benefit of the whole.
Here are some key factors that, in my opinion, make a great team:

Defense, Attack

Ask any sports team manager about what kind of team he would like to have, and he will most likely answer, “A balanced one”. A balanced team consists of a variety of players – defenders and attackers, as well as the creatives and those who are more grounded. Having different kinds of teammates that complement one another makes the team more balanced.

In a startup environment, I learned to really appreciate my teammate with abilities that I don’t (and might never) have. Sometimes I feel more confident in moving forward with decisions because I know that my teammates thinks it’s the right thing to do.

The More, the Merrier

When working in a team, a difference of opinion between the team members is inevitable. When working on product development, marketing strategy, etc., the process usually starts with with a GIANT brainstorming session. We believe that each and every one of us can contribute to the debate, even if it’s not in his area of expertise.

Having your team all together in a brainstorming session can help you face possible problems and challenges that wouldn’t have crossed your mind if you were alone in the room. Brainstorming-wise – the more is indeed the merrier.

The Devil’s Advocate

I have a bad habit, or a good one – depending on how you look at it. I’m not a YES man. Never have been and I think it’s not a part of my DNA to be one.
I believe the truth – as bad as it might sound – can be good for you (and your business). IMHO this is one of the most important attributes in great teams: no one should be a YES man. Nothing is obvious – when someone says NO about something that seems obvious, a wonderful thing happens – you start thinking it through.

Being a YES man is the easiest job in the world: just nod your head to anything you hear. However, a YES man is an obstacle. We tend to convince ourselves that what we’ve arrived at the best solution possible, but often it takes hearing the first “No” to realize a rethink is necessary. DON’T ever surround yourself with YES men, they might help your ego, but they are bad for your business.

Learn from the best

No ones perfect, that’s for sure, but each and every one of us should aim to be the best. In order to be the best, you need to learn from those who are better than yourself. I used to think I was a pretty good product guy, but after Oz joined the team, I realized I still have a lot to learn and achieve.

The same goes for my other co-founders (Lior and Shlomi)– I think they are better than me in each of their fields. I can learn so much from watching them do their thing. In the future, I’m sure I will use some of the techniques I learned from them. Being based in a group of people in which each one can learn from the others how to improve their own skills and become better is something every team needs.

Aim to be the best, but first surround yourself with those who are better than you so you have the opportunity to learn and improve personally, as well as make the team stronger.

Friendship

This is something obvious, especially in small teams. Acting like a family is the only way to get everyone to care about the product, the business, and one another.

Laugh, cry, fail, and learn together. Building your own company is a long journey with many ups and downs, but going it through together, with a great team of people you see as your family will improve your chances to succeed.

I would love to hear about your experience in building a successful team or being a part of one here or over Twitter

Ohad