The reinterpretation of “team” as a term is a pivotal 2021 topic in several fields. It is a worldwide tendency for everybody to want to see things as clearly and honestly as possible. This approach also applies to professionals building, managing, and dealing with teams. What is more, the situation is even tenser in this field as of late because if somebody cannot change, they can say goodbye to the best team members (this applies equally to business and sport). People have re-evaluated their lives. After extended lockdowns and normal life taking a hiatus for more than a year, a person’s happiness and that of their loved ones now sits atop priority rankings. The time has come to discuss teambuilding honestly.
Why is a team needed?
Several professionals deal with this topic, and of course, they try to overcome traditional, general theories and examine new opportunities. One of the more in-depth directions is the personality-based approach; one of the leading international experts in this field is the RISE Human Development System. They keep receiving a growing number of requests in the fields of international business, sports, and education to introduce the process and key elements of the success of personality-based teambuilding. I have also participated in one of their online workshops, where they examined the importance of team selection, formation, and management, and it yields real results. The personality of the person who is forming the team is a key element. They call the people who form the team, build it, and define the main goals that the team will have to reach the “top decision-makers”. In business, this person can be a CEO, a board member, or an owner; while in sport, it can be a coach, a federation member, the top management of a club, or an owner. Regardless of the direction, the idea of formulating the team and goals come from individuals. RISE focuses on this aspect during teambuilding and team restructuring projects because the main aim is that the number one decision-maker reaches their goals. To this end, they need to know what those goals really are. RISE draws attention to the fact that this question is not that easy, as in several cases, the reason for a team’s failure is the serious difference between the top decision-maker
1s real goals and the “official” goals they articulate to others. If professionals responsible for teambuilding do not pay special attention to it, it can easily happen that although the goals are fulfilled, there is dissatisfaction on the decision-maker’s side. Why are such differences possible between real and articulated goals? Because we want to meet cultural and social expectations. That is the main reason why we rephrase our goals as decision-makers. If a businessperson is asked, of course, they “want to be successful”. A sports decision-maker obviously “wants to win”. These are the usual objectives. However, if we do not understand what these goals actually mean for the given decision-maker, and we accept them as universal directions, failure is probable. Even the greatest decision-makers are just human beings, and their private goals play a significant role in their lives.
Chances of failure
RISE’s professionals bring up concrete examples during the workshops—one from business, one from sports. In the field of business, they collected their experience of the past 10 years regarding the goals of business decision-makers. The top 5 list is surprising, as the main aims were the following: the most attention, creating an internationally unique product, the most free-time possible, the greatest revenue, the largest profit. The top three, it seems, are not the traditional kind of business goals. If we take into consideration that all of these decision-makers are very successful in their own fields, the surprise is even greater because it shows that these are the new trends for success. In order to build up the most successful companies, we do not necessarily have to think of the traditional business categories and measures. The list was very interesting in the field of sport as well, especially in light of the fact that national teams and clubs with significant results were considered. The list was the following: the greatest sponsorship revenue, forming a family-like atmosphere, the best results, attracting the most attention, and mentoring activities. The situation seems to be a bit more “professional” here; however, some of the most important goals might be a bit strange.
Nevertheless, the real surprise comes at that point of the workshop when it deals with the extent to which goals were simplified and dulled down when they were officially announced. Business side: EXIT, revenue, profit. Sports side: the best result, the most sponsorship money. Just the way it is supposed to be. I believe the time has come when real goals no longer have to be kept a secret. On the one hand, even the future generation sees that we do not necessarily have to be dull and behave like good decision-makers to succeed. On the other hand, we keep the professionals who are actually building and managing the teams from unnecessary tasks, and in this way, we become more effective.