Creating team unity is like manufacturing a jigsaw puzzle.
First you must have the big picture. You know, the one on the cover of the puzzle box. Then you need to make the right cut for all of the pieces to fit together.
The next challenge is to make sure the pieces stick together. As we all know, one missing piece from a jigsaw puzzle can ruin the entire picture, and the whole thing will fall apart.
The big picture. The vision. The mission. Is yours clear enough and engaging enough for everyone to understand it and enthusiastically embrace their role in bringing it to pass? Do you need to tweak it a little? Does it need to be refreshed and revitalized? No vision is static. It’s organic–it has a pulse; a heartbeat.
Unlike a jigsaw puzzle, it’s the living, breathing foundation of every thriving organization. It has to be dynamic and engaging. It also should be free to grow and change as circumstances dictate. It is the fundamental element around which your team unity will be built, so it should be strong, durable, and vibrant.
Like a jigsaw puzzle, each piece has a valued place and a vital role. Without each individual piece, the picture is incomplete. As you cast the vision for your company, the big picture should come into sharp focus along with each team member’s contribution.
Team unity is just that–an aggregate of unique human beings bound together by a common goal or mission. Often the bonding is the hardest thing to achieve. Anyone can summon a group of workers into a conference room, but forging a bond between them–one upon which they thrive and can build–that can be quite a hurdle.
An important first step toward unifying your group is to understand and accept each person for who they are and to value them as an asset to the project or endeavor upon which you’re all focused. Singling out defects and weak links is only helpful if you provide the support to help them overcome these deficits. Team unity is not about every person being perfect. It’s about every person being esteemed, validated, and empowered to become better.
Another important step toward team unity is to solicit input from your team. You may be the master artist, but they provide the color palate that will bring your picture to life. Ask for their opinions and recommendations and then consider them. You may be surprised at how much their ideas will help make the sharpness of your vision a high def masterpiece.