Integrity, Character, and Communication the Keys to Teamwork

Building integrity is a pain staking process that is worth every challenge that it brings. Time is the greatest building block for integrity and trust. But it is how that time is spent as a team that is valuable. Two of the major things that kill a teams ability to be able to trust one another is personal focus rather than a collective focus. When one comes into a team and puts their individual desires and projects above the projects and needs of the collective, that individual is not trusted as looking out for the collective whole nor is that individual building their integrity with the other members in the area of hard work and determination. Another way that integrity and trust is build is through relationships. A person must continually assist and love the individuals on their team to build the integrity that is necessary to have success.

When trust is build on a team, the process of moving forward with a new project becomes fairly simple as each individual sees the big picture, the goal and the outcome while the project is being discussed. However, when teams are not united in this matter, there can be contention in the process of moving forward. The best way to ensure that all team members are united on the project before you move forward is in the storming stage to ensure that all concerns and opinions are heard out. If this takes place early on in the process of the planning of various projects, it is easy to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the outcome is desired by each in attendance. If those opinions are not brought forward early, often times they are the means by which contentions arise, blame ensues, and problems in being unified are manifest. Making sure all the information and everyone's ideas are on the table before the start of a project is crucial in ensuring this happens.

Creativity is an important way in presenting new ideas to a team in a storming session. A couple of creative ways that we can present information to a team prior to a project is through participation of individual team members who may not have come up with the idea. Allowing the team to help market the idea helps to build relationships and trust with the team members as well as help to unify the team in purpose as to the desired outcome before moving forward with a new project. This can be done by allowing team members the opportunity to see what is happening from the beginning of the process and give their input while an individual project director starts putting together a project. Another creative way for teams to present new information is to make the presentation personal by getting to know each of the individuals to whom the project will be presented, inform them of why the project will be important to them in their duties and in their lives. This creates a sense of connection to the project that will increase the likely hood of the individuals being willing to buy in to the new project at hand.