Developing a team is not easy. Uncommon teams are never made in the microwave but are slow cooked over time. So what are a few of the keys to developing uncommon creative teams? Andrew Carnegie once said:
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
And really, that’s what we all desire right, to be part of uncommon teams. There are a few things that every uncommon teams share. First, they rally around the vision. They know what the “why” is and they are passionate about sharing the why with everyone. What is the vision that God has for your team? What is the why behind the work that you are doing today? If you don’t know your why, the vision, you will lose direction and never ever accomplish anything uncommon.
Uncommon teams care about each other. I once heard Dave Ramsey say that “Leaders pull and bosses push.” If you are going to pull your team forward it is going to require that you develop a relationship with them. Great leaders know the passion points of each teammate and work to set their teammates up to win. On our team we fight for family. We care about each other, we invest in each other, and we protect each other. Doing those things grow roots that allow us to navigate tough times and moments of conflict. Everyone, especially creative people, want to know that they are valued, excepted, and loved.
Great leaders also understand that for a team to become uncommon they have to be able to navigate expectations. I think that expectations are the number one trap of most teams. So many teams show up for work, give their absolute best, leave work thinking they are “winning” only to find out they were not even CLOSE to hitting the expected target. In order for teams to become uncommon the win must be crystal clear and well communicated. Once it is everyone knows what is expected and can do their best work to make those expectations become reality!
Finally, uncommon teams learn to balance inspiration, discipleship, and execution. All three are vital but rarely do all three manifest at the same level. We have seasons when we are more inspired, more centered on the things of Christ, and other times when we are more in our grind mode just getting things done. Regardless where the scale tilts at this season of our lives we have to remember that at the end of the day only we get to control our attitude and approach. If you lead the team your attitude will determine the atmosphere the rest of the team works from. If you are not yet the leader of a team, you still get to lad yourself. Your personal approach and leadership matter and God has gifted you the ability to work in a creative field, to do work that matters and draws people to Him, and that is an honor. Steward it and steward it well. Show up every day, give all you have, pray like you never have, fight for your creative best and watch what God does with your efforts. You have what it takes!
