Teamership needs an ecosystem

Our job in teams is to bring our best and encourage others to bring theirs. Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

Teamership happens at an individual level. It is a factor of how much each individual brings their best and brings out the best in those that they work with. While that is true, there are also conditions that make Teamership more likely to happen. An organisational setting that supports, promotes, rewards and encourages Teamership contains three key components.

The three components are:

• Connected Leadership Teams

• Dynamic Leadership Capability

• Energised Individuals

Connected Leadership Teams play an important role as the role model and create an environment that allows its members to be a part of a committed team at the same time as they are experiencing how to be a part of a high performance team. Highly visible leadership teams walking the talk and being connected to the organisations vision, to each other and throughout the organisation act as a key promoter of Teamership behaviours.

Dynamic Leadership Capability extends the capacity and likelihood of high levels of Teamership. By dynamic, I don’t mean that leaders are charismatic. There is danger in relying too heavily on the personality of leaders to charm others. By dynamic, I mean the ability of leaders to operate in a range of ways in response to the context of their teams and the broader organisation. I also mean dynamic at all ends of the scale - from individual leaders who have the capacity to operate dynamically through to an organisation’s ability to tap into a range of leadership approaches as the situation calls for different approaches.

Energised Individuals are both a cause and a symptom of an environment that drives Teamership. It is clear that part of Teamership levels being high includes the fact that individual members are energised and energising. It is simultaneously true that being around other individuals who are participating in their roles with optimism, motivation and vigour makes it easier for others to do the same. In this way, energised individuals play an important role in any organisation seeking to leverage the benefits of Teamership.
 

Each component of the Teamership ecosystem is important independently. Collectively they create an ecosystem that allows Teamership to thrive.

Some questions for you to consider this week:

1. Are the teams that you are a part of connected and setting an example of great team behaviours?

2. How well do you adapt your leadership to the changing needs of your teams?

3. What are some things that energise you and allow you to bring your best to work?