Build a Team
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Build a Team
Individuals become a team when they
- have the same goal,
- work together, and
- help each other to solve problems.
Members of a team can have some different goals, as long as they all share at least one important one. It is important for team members to have different skills and know-how, so that they have new ideas to share when there are problems to solve. Team members all help each other when there is a problem, because they care about each other.
Team members do not start out caring about each other. It takes time to build a team that cares. This part of the Tool Box gives you tips and activities that can help you
Get to Know Others
The first step to build a team is to get to know each other. Sometimes team members already know each other. But if team members do not know each other, click here, for an activity to help learn team members' names.
The next five activities are good even if some people on the team already know each other. Each activity is useful in different ways.
- A Day in the Life - helps the group get to know what other jobs team members do and to share a part of each team member's life.
- Best Day - Worst Day - helps the group get to know what is important to each team member.
- Making a Change - helps the group get to know what is important to each team member.
- Truth or Lie - gets new team members to talk to each other to find out more.
- What Do We Share? - gets people to see how they are like their team-mates.
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Build Trust
Here are some tips for how to get people to trust you.
- Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
- Be honest.
- Behave the same way as much as you can, so people know what to expect from you.
- Do what you say you will do.
- If you cannot do the job you said you would, ask for help.
- Do not try to hide it when things do not work out.
- Say if you make a mistake.
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Understand Who Has the Power
Each person has some power but not power over everything. It is important for people to understand when they have more power than others and how they use their power to control others. This is an important first step to help people learn to share power with other team members.
Here are some activities to help team members start talking about power.
- Click here to see an activity that shows how a person's power depends on what you look at.
- Click here to see an activity you can use to start talking about how people see others as having more control and power than they have.
- Click here to see an activity that helps people see how much they talk in meetings compared with other team members.
Click here to go to the top of the page.
Support Each Other
One step to build a team is to set rules together for how members will treat each other. One of these rules should be to help each other.
Here are some tips to help team members remember and follow this rule.
- Be a good role model. Help others.
- Thank people in meetings when they help other team members. Say what they did to help and how it was helpful.
In good teams, members support each other. They do not just get support from a team leader. Here are two activities that can help.
- Click here to see an activity that supports team members to feel it is OK to ask for help and give help.
- Click here to see an activity that helps team members see all the ways they can work together on a goal.
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