By Duncan Brodie

We all know that at some level teams have the potential to deliver much more than any one individual working in splendid isolation. Despite this conceptual understanding, many teams fail to deliver to anything like their true potential.

So what are 10 essentials in successful teams?

1. All Heading In The Same Direction

While a team needs to be crystal clear about where it is heading and what it is trying to achieve, it is even more important to make sure that everyone is heading in the same direction. Unless the team is aligned behind a common purpose or outcome, personal agendas and working in the interests of specific functions will become the priority.

2. High Levels of Trust

People tend to first and foremost look after their own interests. While this is fine to a point, getting a team to perform at its best requires a high level of trust. Delivering on what you promise, supporting each other and treating people fairly all contribute to building trust.

3. A “How Can We?” Attitude

Achieving anything takes effort. Too often individuals and teams focus all of their attention on the problems. Of course the problems need addressing. At the same time, keeping asking, “How can we do this?”, helps keep things moving forward and the focus on solutions.

4. Do What You Do Best

There is likely to be more than one role that you could take on a team. The key is to get everyone doing what they do best. If you get everyone focusing on their area of excellence they are going to really deliver great results.

5. Take Responsibility And Be Accountable

It is sometimes hard to take responsibility and be accountable for what you said you would achieve, especially if it has not worked out quite as planned. At the same time being accountable creates a huge amount of respect.

6. Go For Small Wins

Sometimes the end goal or outcome can seem just too big. It is easy to get disheartened or believe that it is impossible. To overcome this natural feeling, break the end goal or outcome into small attainable wins.

7. Celebrate Successes

We are often fast off the mark to criticise when things don’t go to plan. By celebrating success, we motivate and inspire people to deliver more. And the really good news is that it can be really easy to do.

8. Look Out For Each Other

When people are genuinely interested in each other, they look out for each other. For me this means helping people when they are struggling or facing a challenge.

9. Engage Their Ears More

Too often people are so obsessed with being heard that they always want to speak. The reality is that real success potential is unlocked when people really listen.

10. Keep Things In Perspective

Of course teams and people on teams want to succeed. That is perfectly natural. At the same time, successful teams are able to keep things in perspective.