Leading Teams with Care - Lesson 2

Dr. Rick Sessoms
Leading Teams with Care
MC611-02
Discussion of the Team Experiences
Lesson Transcript 

Last week we were starting into the discussion on leading teams. If you remember, we were discussing these two interview questions on the screen: What one thing does your partner enjoy most about working on a team, and what one thing frustrates your partner most about working on a team? And we spent a few minutes at the very end of the session to discuss those. I can't remember whether it was in pairs or in threes – it was in pairs -- and I asked you to just sort of jot yourself some notes so that you could remember. Are you prepared to talk about those things? It's not critical that you have notes, but just want to ask if you could give some feedback and reflection on that, and then we'll certainly open it up; this won't be just what you have on your on your paper there. 

But let's just talk about the first question. What is one thing that your partner enjoys the most about working on a team? As you as you worked in pairs, what did you come up with? What were the kinds of things that were commented upon? 

STUDENT: My partner cited having a common or shared purpose which is greater than the sum of individual goals. 

Okay, so it's something they were working on together, okay. Others? Some of the things that really motivate you about working on a team. 

STUDENT: There were three of us in our group. One person said it's the opportunity to specialize and create something larger and greater as you're working together. 

So greater than ourselves. Okay. What else? 

STUDENT: Another person, or another partner, said that the energy and excitement that moves towards that end goal, that there synergies in this area as well and energy. 

Okay. Other groups? 

STUDENT: I wasn’t here, but I think sharing the workload.

Sharing the workload. Okay. Feel free to just jump in. What is it that you enjoy about teamwork? We've all worked on teams in one time or another. 

STUDENT: The relational experience can be a real positive.

Can be a positive. 

STUDENT: The opportunity to work with people who have different skills than we do and to be able to specialize in different areas and watch all that come together. 

So diversity and seeing those come together somehow to make something work. 

STUDENT: And I think often in a team, the collective is much wiser than an individual. 

Okay.

STUDENT: I've been recently impressed with how giving some people are with volunteerism, whereas I would pull back and debate and evaluate. They just give and give and give. 

That's always fun when that's happening on a team, for sure. 

STUDENT: It also gives you an opportunity to grow. Sometimes it stretches you beyond -- Christ said greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his soul life, who he is, his opinions, sometimes his beliefs, for his friend or his neighbor, and groups, teamwork allow you to do that. It's easy to kind of get stuck in ‘this is the way life is,’ but it makes you grow. It gives you an opportunity to -- in Les Miserables in the chorus, it talks about how to love another person is --

• to see the face of God. That's a great line, isn’t it? 

STUDENT: It is, and I think being part of a team stretches you to allow you to love another in that process. 

I thought you were going to mention it, and it reminds me of that verse about iron sharpening iron, and we help one another to grow and to be polished in that process. 

Tori, what do you enjoy about working on a team? 

STUDENT: I was thinking about it. I really think that I enjoy most learning from what other people bring to the table that I wouldn't have been able to come up with myself. 

So you enjoy the process of learning and growing as a result of working with others. 

Tammy, how about you? 

STUDENT: A lot of things that have been said. 

Me too. 

STUDENT: I like it when teams are working together, because I’ve had experience with both, but when they're working together, I like that kind of energy that comes when it's actually working. 

Yeah, when it is actually working. 

STUDENT: I think I can bring something to the table when working with a team; what I really like about working with a team is I'm stimulated to go beyond myself, and it's exciting to me because it becomes even greater, and I can learn more as I'm participating more. I like that. 

STUDENT: It’s funny you said that, because I think I like challenging them to think differently; that gets me excited when I can help someone see something differently. 

So let's segway into the second question, maybe a little bit more difficult, but what is it that frustrates you about being on a team? Anyone, jump in, you can represent your group or just yourself. 

STUDENT: What frustrates me is when everybody can agree that something needs to be done, but it can be a very long process to decide to take an action. 

So sometimes it takes longer in a team process than it would otherwise, and so that can be frustrating. Yeah. Man, if everybody thought the same way I did, it would be a perfect world, wouldn’t it? It would also be a little boring, but it'd be perfect. 

STUDENT: I'll paraphrase C.S. Lewis in Screwtape Letters, hell consists of committees. 

Hell consists of committees, and mosquitoes, I think. But anyway, you're right. 

STUDENT: So sometimes you get bogged down, and it can drag the momentum and the individuals down, whether it's trying to come up with consensus or whether it's the lowest common denominator. Sometimes it can be a challenge. 

Mm hmm. Absolutely. 

STUDENT: I like to say that a committee is a small group of people who keep minutes but waste hours. 

That's a great statement. I haven't heard that. Can I quote that? That keep minutes and waste hours. 

STUDENT: When you working individually or in a team, you can lose focus. But if you lose focus as a team, it can allow infighting and different agendas, and it becomes very draining of the individual members’ inner energy. 

So, it's one thing to lose focus as an individual, but when a team loses focus, serious business. 

STUDENT: Polarization, sides; when you said this, what's your agenda? 

That’s good insight. Michael? 

STUDENT: Not being able to fully control the outcome. 

I'm with you, brother. [laughter]

STUDENT: There are different desires, different priorities, different expectations on the team. Without communication, you can go sideways real fast. 

STUDENT: A team requires leadership, and sometimes that leadership changes, but without leadership, it can flounder big. And the corollary flip to that is it requires folks who are willing to follow. You could have a whole team full of leaders and get nowhere.

A lot of chiefs. I get a little frustrated when I'm working on a team and people don't pull their weight. That can be frustrating to me. We all agree on something, and we walk away from the table, and it just doesn't quite get done. That's something that frustrates me. Other thoughts? 

Well, I'm sure things will come to your mind as we go along. But some of what you've been describing is the kind of thing that is forming our discussion as we go forward, as you'll see. But before we do that, I'd like to have you do another little exercise, if you would. Would you work in groups of three for just maybe four minutes or so, and this is going to be a tough exercise in four minutes, but I'd like for you to come up with a working definition of a team. What is a team? And take your best shot, and I'd prefer you not make bullet points, but just make a sentence or a statement about it; it's a little easier to do bullet points, but just kind of formulate a statement as to what you believe a team is. It can be a Christian team or not a Christian team, but let's just talk about what is a team in general at this point. Take about four minutes, and then we'll come back. Take your best shot.