How to Build a Strong Team

5 Tips: Bring people together and make it work.

Photo by Jopwell

Teams are everywhere.

Even if you work alone, you are part of a team. Reporting lines define who works with whom. For example, a manager = a team. Such teams sometimes feel fake or empty. Just put people with similar roles together, and that is all.

But some teams work together and collaborate. If you have a chance, join such a team. It is much more fulfilling than sitting together but working on separate projects.

If you wonder how to improve your team, here are five tips.

1. Vision

One thing that bugs me about teams is that they sound like an awesome idea but have zero vision or thought behind them.

• Let’s merge all account teams.
• A new cross-functional team will integrate these functions.
• This team will work on strategic product activities.

Every team should start with a vision.

1. What is happening? What do we need?
2. Why do we need it? Who do we need to work together?
3. So what? How will we make it work?

Teams are often chaotic. This person does this, that person does that. A manager…