The True Definition of a Team

I hear many business professionals refer to the term "team.” It has come up with such frequency in conversation and in so many different contexts that I have started asking people how they would define the word. I wanted to gain some perspective on how others think the word should be used. In some cases, I asked because I genuinely valued the mentorship of the person I was speaking with. In others, I could tell before even asking the question that they didn’t really understand the term. No matter who I asked, the majority of the time, the answer fell short of the definition. And to be fair, it's not their fault; part of the reason I asked was because I felt the definition I, myself, had formed was also lacking. Even the definition of the term by Merriam-Webster doesn't adequately cover the term.

If a team in a professional setting refers to "a group of people who work together," then let's look at the structure in which the team works. I think most people can agree that a team, by its very nature, should strive to achieve common goals. A team that doesn't work together can't achieve its goals, nor be successful, and no team ever sets out to lose. That is not to say that they cannot lose, but rather that their focus is to win.

I have listened to others say, "A team is a group of individuals who understand the goal and work together to accomplish it." When I ask these people to explain this definition, they tend to focus on very broad aspects. Some people focus on the leadership aspects of the concept of a team - others, on the communication needed. But these ideals aren’t enough to lead to success.

Many people have asked me, since I retired from the military a little over a year ago, if I miss it. My answer has usually been, "Not yet, but I'm sure it's coming."

And now lately, I miss it. I don't miss the long days, the getting shot at, the moving all over the country, and many of the other sacrifices my family and I made while I was in the service. What I do miss, however, is the team.

I started to think about team in this military context that I knew so well, and I started to formulate my own definition. It became very complex and verbose as I tried to define what I had experienced. It included aspects like communication, motivation, focus, training, and leadership. But, again, I couldn't pack in all the words I needed to make it encompass what I wanted the definition to cover.

Finally though, the other day, as I was getting ready to start a new week, it came to me. The heavens opened up and the angels sang (okay, maybe that didn't really happen)! But finally, I was able to boil it down to this:

A team is a group of people who trust each other.

Let it sink in.

Trust. Each. Other.

Trust is the key.

As I recalled the training we underwent to prepare for our missions in Afghanistan, I could see the trust that each member began to develop in one another. We trusted each other with our lives, partly because we were soldiers and it was an inherent part of the system, but mostly because we knew what each member of our team could do. We pushed our limits and picked each other up when we failed. We understood each other and were motivated to help each other. We trusted our leaders to give it to us straight and make the best decisions for our well-being and best chances for mission success.

As former President for Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, said, “you have to enable and empower people to make decisions independent of you.” Ridge went on to say that “each person on a team is an extension of your leadership; if they feel empowered by you, they will magnify your power to lead. Trust is a great force multiplier.”

Everything we did as a team was all based on trust. Every success we had was based on trusting each other. It doesn't matter if you’re a sales team or a production line in a manufacturing plant. Trusting the people on your team will be the basis for action. Lack of trust will be the basis for inaction.

As a leader, it was my job to train and lead soldiers, and I had to trust that they would take that training under my leadership and do their jobs. Micromanaging or doing it for them due to a lack of trust destroys teams. Always remember Rob LeBow’s quote, “When people feel trusted, they'll do almost anything under the sun not to disappoint the person who gave them the gift of trust."

Look at your team. Do you trust each other? Do you trust that they are well-trained? Do you trust that they understand what it is you expect them to do and are willing and able to do it? Are you giving them the resources to accomplish their daily duties in support of the overall mission? Do they trust each other?

If you are having trouble getting your team to be effective, my guess would be that you have trust issues inside your team which, if left unchecked, will tear your team apart.