“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” – Henry Ford
On a cold, rainy November morning in 1988, our convoy turned off Angels Road in “the back forty” of Fort Campbell, KY, and slipped into a wooded area on the western edge of Training Area 17. As our vehicles entered the patch of trees that would serve as our field site for the next five days, my platoon sergeant and I directed them into hasty defensive positions.
For the next several hours, I walked the perimeter and worked with squad leaders to set fields of interlocking fire and prepare sector sketches while my platoon sergeant supervised the camouflage and hardening of our defensive positions. It unfolded like a tactical symphony. Everyone worked in concert to orchestrate the establishment of a well-prepared and defended position. Within four hours, we were “dug in like a tick on a hound dog,” one of my squad leaders proclaimed proudly with a characteristic east Tennessee twang.
“Teamwork,” my platoon sergeant said half-jokingly, “makes the dream work.” It was a refrain I would hear again and again in the years to come.
THE formula for team success
Getting that dream to work doesn’t have to turn into a nightmare. My platoon was exceptionally well trained, and my noncommissioned officers were the best in the battalion. They possessed a level of tactical and technical proficiency that set them apart from their peers in the other companies. But what made the dream work was something else entirely: the 3Cs of teamwork.
Communication
Effective teamwork begins and ends with clear, concise, and direct communication. It is the cornerstone of successful teaming, opening channels of open and honest dialog and ensuring the honest exchange of information among team members. Communication helps to prevent misunderstanding and resolve conflict, while focusing the team on a common vision of a broader goal.
Collaboration
Effective teamwork depends on collaboration, with every team member working in concert toward that broader goal. It involves shared commitment and responsibility, effective talent management and distribution of effort, and an environment of mutual trust, respect, and accountability. Successful collaboration is shaped by system of group norms and values that guide team interactions and performance. Collaboration thrives in a culture where creativity and innovation are spurred by diverse perspectives and voices, where individuals come together as teams to generate unique ideas to solve problems.
Coordination
Effective teamwork coalesces around coordination, which ensures that all team efforts and members are aligned and focused on a common vision. It involves organizing and distributing tasks, prioritizing and managing resources, and sequencing and synchronizing activities to achieve the desired goal or end state. Coordination is what makes a “tactical symphony” possible.
In a profession that prides itself on acronyms and mnemonics, the 3Cs were far from revolutionary. But when it came to pulling a diverse team together on a cold, wet day, they did the trick. And, because they were so easy to remember, they stuck with me and became part of my leadership – and command – philosophy.
The Five Dysfunctions of a team
But teams don’t always perform as intended. Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a compelling exploration of the common pitfalls that hinder team effectiveness. It’s also a book that is hard-baked into every serious discussion of leadership I’ve ever had. When a team falls short of expectations, the reasons behind that failure tend to be confined to a short list. As one of my crustier old warrant officers liked to remind me, “It ain’t rocket science.” Lencioni seems to agree with that sentiment, listing only five key reasons that cause a team to “go off the rails.”
1. Absence of Trust.
Trust is the foundation of any successful team. Without trust, team members tend to close off and be more guarded about sharing ideas or assume risk. Leaders have to extend trust and model behaviors that help to build trust.
2. Fear of Conflict.
Teams that lack trust are unable to engage in healthy conflict that spurs growth and innovation. Team members lack genuine authenticity and the harmony necessary for a productive environment never forms. For teams to embrace constructive disagreement, leaders have to forge a culture that encourages open, respectful debate and the free exchange of ideas.
3. Lack of Commitment.
If you want commitment from your team, they have to truly believe that their options matter, that they are heard and valued. Their buy-in is essential to achieving organizational goals. Commitment begins with a compelling vision that’s clearly communicated and a climate where everyone has a voice in decision-making.
4. Absence of Accountability.
The quickest way to destroy a team is to fail to hold people accountable for performance shortfalls or exhibiting behaviors that are in conflict with organizational norms and values. “The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.” Lead by example for your team and hold everyone to a common standard, with clear consequences for those who choose to take a different path.
5. Lack of Results.
Success is a team sport, and when team members prioritize individual goals over the collective success of the team, it undermines the ability of the group to achieve the broader goals of the organization. If you want results, then weave individual growth and development into those broader goals so results become a win-win proposition for everyone involved.
Successful teamwork isn’t all that complicated. More often than not, success comes down to the 3Cs of successful teamwork: communication, collaboration, and coordination. It really is that simple.
