Go Team Go!

I’m thinking a lot about teams as I write this at the start of a late August weekend. Being a Chicago Bears fan, I’m anticipating tonight’s pre-season game hoping for signs that the Bears can return to “Monsters of the Midway” status this year. And thanks to a gift of tickets from some good friends, my wife, Deb, and I are taking in a Cubs game tomorrow afternoon. We’re in full “wait ‘til next year” mode with the Cubs right now. In the midst of a very disappointing season, many of their premier players have been traded in hopes that they can rebuild for next year. While I’ll know they’re the Cubs by their uniforms, we’re seeing a lot of names on the back of the uniforms that we don’t know. But, there’s always the hope that we’re watching the next Ernie Banks or Ryne Sandburg!

Watching these teams in action will make for an enjoyable weekend. But the team activity that I’m really looking forward to is next week’s retreat with colleagues from our Wheat Ridge staff. Each year about this time, the members of our team who have executive responsibilities meet in a setting away from the office for three days of conversation, visioning, decision-making and relaxation. It’s been a busy summer for us, filled with travel, budget development and work planning for the year ahead, so it will be great to enjoy each other’s company while we fine tune our plans and think creatively about the possibilities that the Lord is providing for us to impact lives by the seeding of new health and human service ventures.

I’ve been incredibly blessed through the years to serve on some outstanding teams, including the team at Wheat Ridge Ministries. I know many people who enjoy working as independent consultants or deployed staff. While there are occasions when I value time on my own, I can’t imagine a work environment without the energy, stimulation, encouragement and fun that comes with serving with others.

This is not to say that our team’s work is always easy. As is the case with all relationships, we have to work at it. Our executive team, for example, includes individuals who have a wide range of perspectives and differing work and thinking styles. Amidst very full work schedules and the stress that comes with managing an effective organization in today’s uncertain environment, having patience with one another can sometimes be a challenge and misunderstandings do happen. At the end of the day, however, I can honestly say that my colleagues on the Wheat Ridge staff “have my back,” that each of them is trustworthy, competent, accountable, responsible and dedicated to our mission. It’s an honor to work with them and I try my best to be a worthy member of our team.

A few years ago, Wheat Ridge hosted a series of “Healthy Teams Workshops” for leadership teams in congregations and other non-profit organizations. Our goal at Wheat Ridge is to seed sustainable new health and human service ventures, and we believe the best environment for these new ministries to develop is in organizations where leaders and teams work together effectively. During these workshops, we stressed eight elements present in healthy work teams:

• A charter that defines the team’s reason for existence;
• The ability to manage conflict effectively;
• A clearly understood process for making decisions;
• The ability to provide and receive honest feedback;
• Identified norms that guide team behavior;
• Clearly defined roles for team members;
• Intentional nurturing of the spiritual wellness of the team and its members;
• The belief among team members that they can accomplish more together than individually.

One element that I think is missing from this list is the ability for a team to laugh and play together. It’s been my experience and observation that healthy teams laugh a lot, even as they work hard to achieve their mission. The ability for team members to take themselves, and each other, “lightly” in the midst of the very serious and important work they do is a great gift from God and one that is necessary for individual and collective health and effectiveness.

Perhaps you’re part of a team that is meeting at the end of these summer days to prepare for the seasons ahead. If so, give some thought to the health of your team. Do the eight elements mentioned above match up against your team’s experience? What elements would you add? How do you nurture the health of your team? If you’re willing to share your thoughts, please post your comments below!

Thank God for the gift of community and the blessing of serving on a team!