Building a team? Building a culture!

I was reviewing my intentions from early last year and had to smile: one intention was to build a powerful and productive team that didn’t need me. A team for which I provide the direction and the guideposts, and then get out of their way so they can do their jobs well. It didn’t happen overnight. It took time and effort. Now it feels a little odd to admit that the team I lead doesn’t need me. I’m humbled, honoured and excited to be part of it, constantly astonished at the work produced. I enjoy their company and insights. But besides being the single voice to leadership, and the one providing the direction and guidance, I am not needed.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with some astoundingly positive and productive teams where a supportive culture evolves swiftly.

There was a survey some time ago, asking what I looked for when hiring.

The appropriate skills and adequate experience to do the job – of course - that needs to come through in the resume. But with a number of applicants all with the required skills and experience to varying levels, do I lean towards the most experienced or best educated? Nope.

Do I interview, drilling into their skills and experiences? Yes, though that isn’t what I’m focusing on.

There are 3 things I look for during interviews.

First are the strengths – the innate qualities that are the superpowers of the individual – that will complement and expand on those of the rest of the team. Things like personality, sense of humour, approach to problem solving, top down or bottom up thinking, empathy, curiosity, extrovert, introvert…. during interviews I am attempting to determine what those might be and how they might work with the other members of the team.

The second and third components I’m watching for are Humbleness: Recognition that success is seldom the result of a single person - and Fire: a hard to hide (and impossible to manufacture) enthusiasm and drive.

It’s powerful when team members come together and a tight mesh and unique culture is formed: When each recognizes the strengths, experiences and skills of others that are available and when each is empowered to ask for the involvement of another to expand the pallet and increase the value of the work being done.