A Recipe for Team Success

Anyone who cooks will tell you that it's the little things in a recipe that really take it from average to outstanding.  It doesn't take much talent to throw the basic ingredients into a slow cooker and come out with a stew.  But if you want a meal that really delivers, you need the recipe with the extras.

Teams are just like that.  You can throw a group of talented people together and call them a team, but success happens when you finally get the extras worked into the mix.     




Foundational Ingredients

• Shared Vision ensures that each member understands the desired outcome of the chef.
• Trust is the glue that keeps the team together so it doesn't separate.
• Respect acknowledges that each team member has their own unique flavor based on knowledge, experience, innate talents, and perspective.
• Feedback tells the team when and how they need to adjust, like licking the spoon every once in a while. 
• Humility means understanding that the recipe is successful because of the contributions of the whole team, not just one individual.
• Celebration will differ by the season, but it brings out the best in each team member when success is recognized.    

Optional Ingredients (Flavor to Taste)

• Humor keeps things from boiling over.  
• Friendship, if available, brings sweetness.
• Fun adds zest to a bland combo.

Turn up the heat once in a while to get things moving, but not so much that the team burns out.  Add and remove team members as the meal plan changes, and keep an eye on the balance so your flavor doesn't sour. 

Keep this simmering in the slow cooker, and you've got a recipe for Team Success.