Leading Teams with Care - Lesson 3

Dr. Rick Sessoms Leading Teams with Care MC611-03 What is a Team? Group Discussion Lesson Transcript [00:00:00] All right, let's, uh, let's gather our thoughts. I'm really interested in what you've come up with. And let me just say that at the end of this, I'm not going to give you just the. The wisdom from on high as to what a team is. So I don't have a definition for team. So this is a collective experience. Roger said that all of us is smarter than any one of us. There's that kind of what you said a while ago. And so this is an opportunity for us to think together about what is a team. I will offer you a couple of definitions in a few moments from others, but this is just really an exercise to think together. Why don't we start with Michael's team? I saw you writing, and I'm very interested in what you guys came up with. All right. We came up with a group of people that combines various skills, roles and resources into who are willing to cooperate to accomplish a united. I say it again. That's. That's a mouthful. Go again. A group that combines various skills, roles and resources and who are willing to cooperate to accomplish a unit, a unit, a united purpose or a goal. What do you think about that? Oh. What? What did you hear from that? What? What were the emphasis points that, uh, that you heard? Working together. Common purposes. Make sure. What it took to accomplish the goal of the Common Core with a common purpose and a group of folks with resources and other things. I disagree because I don't think that the team necessarily is willingly put into a team. Often times people are assigned the team and that's why you get frustrating experiences. You know, being part of a team, I think that's more of a definition of a good team, but not necessarily the definition of just a dance team. [00:02:19] That's an interesting comment. We're going to wrestle with that a bit because. We we do find ourselves assigned to teams unwillingly. Oftentimes, the question is, is that really a team at the end of the day? We may use that language, but as we begin to think through this, that will be one of the questions that we'll come back to. And I don't have a final answer on that, but it's something worth exploring. Good question. We've actually mentioned a little bit of that same kind. In the sort of process. The thing is that. The definition of a person falls apart is that it's. Yeah, I just. I just want to reflect. I've worked with a number of organizations that talk about developing teams, and at best, the people that they have working together are groups, not teams, and they call it team. And that is part of the frustration is because they're not functioning as teams but as groups. And we'll talk about the difference. But that's a very important thing you brought up. Thank you, Robin. Does a team need a leader? And when you said diverse. Does that mean there's a leader in there somewhere or a team? What do you think the team need a leader. Well, two guys in the room said yes, and that was part of that for agreeing on a definition here. Did you? Is that what you meant by diverse talents, that one of those people would be a leader or should have? A statement. We didn't put leadership in there. I don't think that was particularly purposeful. Now, it's interesting that you use the word leadership. Use the word leader. There is a difference, you know. Leadership is the need for this thing called leadership to go on this dynamic called leadership to go on. [00:04:33] Leader tends to focus on a person, a designated person, to carry out that function. Do you hear the difference? And so leadership is really about leading and following in context. And we could talk about that at length. But there is a there is a very important distinction there, but it's a very important question, and we'll come back to that one. We do talk about the leadership, but then when I hear, is there a leader? Barney says yes, but no, because the different skills and the resources and the abilities are different. And I would think the different individuals on that team can rise to the leadership for that particular purpose. And then that can be there can be various people. And I think that's well said there. There could be a sharing of leadership. There could be an exchange process going on depending on the time and the place in the context that is needed. So the idea of one person from tip to Stern is is not always the most effective. And we can talk about that. But anyway, we'll keep hold that at bay right now. We'll come back to it in a bit. Other I'd be interested in definition. Did you guys come up with a definition that you'd like to share? We just kept it very basic and said it's a group of people working towards a common goal. Okay. That's got some very good elements in it. A group of people working toward a common goal. We discussed other elements that would make it a great team, but in the end we said no for just a regular team. Just a team. All right. Good. What about your group getting or whoever wants to speak? It was interesting. [00:06:33] When we started, we heard some of the same language we really were writing about the same time with a group of people. Right. That must be a team, Roger. I've got a statement that was Give me a group of people with diverse complementary gifts and talents working in this leadership in relationship with each other for common purpose, amidst relationship, amidst leadership and relationship. Is that what you said? That. And a that's a tongue twister. But interesting. So you did get you did get that leadership thing in there, Right. So that's important to you. Tell us why that's important to you. What is that about? We had a lot of ways we had a lot of leadership that went leader. If it's not if it's not it being led that it's not a team. It's a collection of some group that is a making team. Pretty much to have those leaders involved in leadership and followership and good work, followership. And it doesn't mean the leader is the most important and the followers are least important. We have biblical examples. Yeah, right. You brought out the word relationship. Why? Why is that important? We were talking about working together. It's more than just a common purpose, and we're all sitting independently, making it contributing to our product, which we're not doing it together. That's it. Sole proprietors submitting their work, so to speak, to the team, is because you're in relation relations as important as your goal and the relationship will affect your role, which will affect your outcome will affect the process. Good. Did you hear other things in that definition you like to ask about or comment on? We're talking about having leaders and followers and groups. I wonder if everybody thinks that there has to be the same leader all the time or is at different times. [00:08:49] Different team members can be the leader and others can be the followers. Because I've been on many teams where there wasn't a specific leader. But when I think about it, I think that there were leaders and followers. Just the leader would be whoever and whoever had the most expertise in that particular topic. And that's a great question. And that comes back to the question about is it leader or is it leadership? Because I think we would all agree that leadership is needed. But does that mean that the same person has to lead all the time? The whole time? That's the question I think you're asking. Is that right? Yeah. I think an indication of an effective leader is one who is developing others to be leaders. You know, others in position times. A great leader was putting the right people in the right position to carry out what they're. Very true. Well, these are excellent definitions. You know, you guys are obviously already know a great deal about teamwork. And you probably have learned some of this through the school of hard knocks.