Team 92128

Teams are important to me. I’ve been on them, put them together, read team building books, conducted OTAs and looked at their dynamics through a microscope. All teams seem to have their own dynamics and their own unique members…there is no real formula for making them. Nevertheless there seems to be some consistent personality types on every team. These are the people that become the stout building blocks of the team culture.

The Gang of Eight have many essential types in their midst. I can identify seven of these types that are essential to team success. Long term high performance almost requires that you have these essential six contributors.

The first is the “lovable smartass.” This team member is the one you can rely upon to bring the humor that smooths rough roads and makes going further possible. This player has good timing and a better than average wit…a well placed gibe or pun cuts through the back breaking weight of performance and hard work. As Andrew Carnegie observed, “there is little success where there is little laughter.” This person brings the fun. The Gang of Eight has at least two of these.

Next comes the historian. This is the team member who remembers everything with a focus on past successes, the one who, “remembers when.” The message is, we have been here before …and we won. This person brings perspective. The can- do attitude often lives in the historian.

Third is the thinker…the “what if ?” guy. This player brings alternatives and possibility. This is one who says, “what if we bunt here.” This is the person who suggest things that are not obvious and brings the reward of new experiences and interpretations.

Fourth is the captain. This honor falls on a person almost without discussion…often it is the “old hand” who brings a richness of experience that can not be overlooked. These people bring confidence. His/her demeanor is enough to suggest that the team possesses a wealth of capability and that no surprise will be unforeseen.

Fifth is the entertainer. Closely related to the smartass, this person is a quick wit but a genuine storyteller. The wit is a rapier and the entertainer is a Claymore both are razor sharp but they cut differently. In good times and bad, this person brings engagement. Often stories told seem to have little relationship to what is happening in the moment but-over time- the entertainer’s narratives create a team culture.

Finally, there is the “ironman,” the person who takes a position every day without having to be asked or cajoled. This person is always willing. Willing to listen, withstand the attacks of the smartasses and perform the essential service of treating all teammates with respect. This player is the foundation of the group, the one who always does the job.

I have seen these types on every successful team I’ve been around. There are other types, of course, but a good collection of these types are indicators of what becomes a good team. Fortunately, The Gang of Eight has one of each of these. Further, we are blessed by at least two smartasses. They know who they ARE.

The gang agrees with Darwin,” in the long history of humankind (and animal kind too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”

In these hard times I hope you are on a good team and that you play to win.