Nine Lies About Work

How do you build a high functioning team?

It's a really good question and one you may have either faced or will encounter in the future.

I was fortunate enough to work within a team that all pulled in the same direction, looked out for one another and always tried to deliver the highest standards. Not all teams are built equally and replication is tough.

In their best selling book 'Nine Lies About Work', authors Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall say the number one lie about work is that "People care which company they work for".

On the face of it you might look at a company from the outside and think it's a good place to work, however once you get on the inside the only things that really matters day-to-day is recognition, support, opportunities to grow and colleagues who share your values. It becomes less about the company and more about the team that surrounds you.

The best teams pull together when there is a meaning to the work.

I remember a story someone told me once. After starting out as a PM in an investment firm and the leader of the team told him in the first week, "Listen, you're not Warren Buffett so let's not get carried away with yourself!" Needless to say, the PM didn't stick around too long.

And even though leaders can't control how the company influences team members, they can control what people really care for - their teams.