Do you really want teamwork?
Do you need teamwork?
Then it’s absolutely imperative to remember the first rule of teamwork.
If you want agreement on a solution to a problem, you must first reach agreement on the problem itself.
When sales are down, you might have a product, brand, service, distribution, supply, quality or marketing problem among many, many others. If you simply say that you need solutions to the sales problem, don’t expect very good results.
This first time a team meets to work on a problem, the meeting time MUST be unlimited. There has to be sufficient time to work through everyone’s perception until you can come to common agreement on the problem. No exceptions.
I attended a meeting of a group that was formed to solve a very big problem. There was a set agenda and a time limit. Everyone had a chance to speak. A plan was agreed. The meeting ended. Within hours the emails were flying around. Factions formed. Schisms appeared. Why?
The meeting wasn’t long enough.
What???!
That’s right. The first meeting of any group formed to solve a problem cannot be under a time limit. There must be sufficient time to reach complete agreement on the problem.
Painful? Sometimes. But having one meeting that lasts 6 hours is far less painful than watching a team implode without reaching a goal. Isn’t it? Those extra hours? They will be spent on emails and hallway conversations anyway.
Don’t forget it.
Chris Reich, TeachU