Teamwork has been an essential component for human survival since the beginning of time. From coordinating hunting strategies to being on a product development team in a corporate company, teamwork has served as an illustration of the human capacity that we all possess when we work together. There’s a common saying “Two heads are better than one”, being on a team provides members the opportunity to share a sense of community that is necessary for personal development. By interacting with one another we gain perspectives, create connections, and receive the support that we other wise wouldn’t have if we were by ourselves. However there are three factors that need to be in place in order for efficient teamwork to occur.

Communication is the most essential factor in any human encounter especially when it comes to teamwork. There are various forms of communication, all of us are familiar with the most common kind which is verbal, but there are other forms of communication that exisit. I believe that non-verbal communication is more important than verbal. This is where the quote “You have two ears and one mouth” comes into play. As a student of Intercultural Communication I learned that verbal communication tells us only 20% of the messages being conveyed while the rest comes from non verbal communication. By understanding non verbal communication you therefore become more keen on what your team mates are trying to tell you.

Common Goal, having been in various leadership positions I’ve found that focusing the team to row towards a common goal is essential in accomplish the groups objective. All too often I’ve seen teams fracture and diverge in different directions, which is cause by the lack in belief to a common objective. This is one of the reasons why companies have mission statements within their business plan; it serves as beacon for the entity to direct itself towards to. This same concept can also be applied to any team oriented activity, whether big or small a common goal needs to be approved and accepted by members within the group. Without a common goal objective, the team will be lost and ineffective.

Support, is what teamwork is all about. This is where people stop being individuals and become a part of an entity that is built through trust and understanding. It’s a group of people that are like minded and come together, developing a bond that helps each person in the group excel within their respective roles. Working in unison helping each other accomplish the task at hand. I think the best example of support and teamwork comes from ants, yes I said it ants! To me ants are one of the most disciplined and unified animals on the planet. If you aren’t easily grossed out by creep crawlers I recommend that you research how ants are capable of transferring an entire colony of 1 million ants from one location to another in one single night. Every single ant communicates with one another, they are all on the same page, and support one another to the point that they make bridges out of one another. Now that is teamwork at its best!

What is your best example of team work?

Luis Rosario is the Director of Communications / Event Relations for MorningCoach.com, with an educational background in Sociology and Inter-cultural Communications. His mission is to change the world for the better one event at a time!