Teamwork, what is it good for?

From sending a satellite into space to creating the next mobile app, every extreme goal or dream requires great teams and great teamwork. Without teams that have great chemistry, a sense of responsibility and accountability, no project will be a success.

So how do great teams operate? They have a code of honor!

What is a code of honor? For you gamers out there, I’m not referring to the third person shooter game. A team's code of honor is a set of rules and guidelines we put together as a team to make sure the right expectation is set and there are no surprises.

Why do we need a code of honor?

1. Develop a sense of accountability,
2. Feeling of support,
3. Powerful statement of who you are and what you stand for,
4. It defines you and your goals

When pressure is high, emotions tend to go up and intelligence drops. Having a code of honor will help the team work through this difficult time and guide them to success.

Let’s think of our troops for example. When the troops are under fire, the only thing they have on their mind is not to get shot. If it wasn’t for the code of honor, every man would be for themselves. Instead they follow a certain protocol to survive. The same goes for a project and the team. The code of honor should have line items pertaining to situations when you have a lot on your plate and can’t finish a task, work delegation, attending meetings, training, rolls and responsibilities, etc. This will help build a sense of accountability within the team. The team can refer to these guidelines and know that other team members are there to support them. They will see that the team is trying to achieve one goal; one mission.

It is important to understand that with keeping the team’s mission as our primary focus, each team member’s needs second, and our own needs third; each team member’s needs will be met. Great team members always ask what they can do for their team rather than what their team could do for them.

Just like a sports team, when you are in a project team you need to be wearing the team’s name in front of your shirt and your own name in the back. Your mission is to win and you are all working together to get to this goal. You can have a team of champions or you can have a championship team. There is a difference between the two.

I strongly recommend reading "Team code of honor" by Blair Singer. It’s one book that all great teams need to read and understand.

We hope you have found this week’s edition of "To The Point" by Sam Vaghefi to be helpful and informative. Look out for our next week instalment as we continue to explore unique topics from business to the latest technology.

We want to hear your point! If you have any ideas, suggestions or any questions about our weekly blog, please contact us at: info@pointalliance.com.

Warm regards,

Point Alliance Team