As I’ve mentioned before, having clear values that help guide your decisions as you lead a team makes the process much easier (and more consistent). Through my time as a leader, I’ve lead groups that very much are interdependent on each other and conversely groups that are collection of individual contributors that don’t necessarily depend on one another (and in some cases don’t have a need to interact). In both environments, I have found that creating a sense of community and togetherness is always better for the individuals and the team. It’s not always easy and requires consistent effort and adjustment, but the concept of “together is better” will improve nearly every facet of an operation when done thoughtfully and authentically.
The simplest path to create a sense of togetherness is to build a cause/purpose that everyone can rally behind and participate in from their role. This can require a purpose that is a little more broad than you may initially envision, but it will provide the proverbial “big tent” that everyone can fit into.
Once you have constructed the purpose, people quickly will be able to understand how their role aligns and supports the purpose. If they can’t, then as a leader you will have the opportunity to paint that picture for them…or rethink the purpose…or rethink the organization structure if their are truly roles that don’t align.
With that point the team to their shared experiences and non-conflicting goals to create a sense of being united in focus. That being said, once people see how they are part of something greater and are in it together, several things happen that benefit the organization, the individuals, and you as a leader.
First, most everyone will be likely to willingly and happily give more effort once they see that their work directly aligns with your organization’s purpose and broader goals. As humans, the vast majority of us want want to be part of something bigger – so giving people visibility to not only how they are part of something but also to how they can impact that community will drive people to achieve more. Everyone benefits.
Second, the sense of community that comes from sharing a common purpose will increase engagement with one another amongst people on the team. They will begin to collaborate more as they realize not only does their individual success matter but so does everyone everyone else’s success. Feel free to insert you favorite metaphor here: links in a chain, rising tides raising all boats, etc. The point: with common purpose you get more interaction and increased collaboration which dramatically increases the likelihood that the best ideas will surface and win since it is in everyone’s best interest for that to happen. Everyone benefits.
Third, focus will shift to outcomes aligned to that purpose. This is the most critical point to understand as the leader: the purpose you create must be aligned to the actions you take, the outcomes you promote, and the metrics you measure. For example, if you lead a team manufacturing widgets and your purpose is to “safely produce widgets efficiently and effectively”, you need to make sure that your review of individuals includes not only their performance relative to safety, efficiency, and effectiveness but also the broader team’s performance in those same 3 areas. You are reinforcing your purpose while increasing each member’s accountability not only for themselves but for the broader team. Everyone benefits.
Overall, “Together is better” doesn’t just feel good to say, it creates an environment that people want to be in, will willingly give more effort, feel less isolated and more connected (which is critical in the hybrid/remote world), feel obligated to help others as it can also benefit themself, and ultimate create better outcomes. While it requires thoughtful work to create the right purpose, foster the culture, and adjust as the environment requires it, the work is more than worth the cost to create a more healthy and effective environment for success.
View from the Middle 