No matter how unicorn a start-up ship,
or how big and well-balanced an established one,
what keeps it sailing smoothly,
is and will always be the people.
Not only the people directly with their foot on the propeller,
or the ones monitoring for any internal leaks or external attacks,
but every single one of the humans on the ship...
...from the cook in the cafeteria to the captain giving orders.
~~~
A lot of those currently onboard such a ship,
swear by such a thing called "team building", "team fostering"
and other synonyms around the team phenomenon.
No matter how many other "cultures" the "people and culture team" busies itself with,
the culture of building and maintaining,
and centering everything around teams,
is at the center of everything ...
The team responsible for live site issues ... the bug triage team.
The team responsible for maintaining existing features... the product team.
The team responsible for the next generation features ... the feature team.
The team responsible for innovation ... the X team.
The team responsible for data ... the Y team.
Yes.
Teams. Teams. Teams. everywhere.
But this ignorance does not stop there.
Why ignorance?
Why not ignorance?
If you define a team first,
before really recognizing the "team members",
do you realize the momentous mistake you make?
You clearly do not, or else you will dismiss all your "teams",
the moment your eyes have reached the "e" -> here.
So I will help you with it.
What do they say about hammers and nails?
You know to a hammer everything looks like a nail?
It is the exact same principle here, my friend.
In defining a team beforehand,
you become a "hammer" and make everyone you assign to the "team" a nail.
All the real talent of your "team members",
no not just the ones in their superficial and "crowd-impressing" thing called "Resume",
but their real talent which their resume shows but a glimpse of,
is tactfully ignored.
(Hey what do you care about what you can really do)
(All we care about is if you can do what your "team" does.)
And the team members,
spend their otherwise expensive 8+ hours just nailing the bugs
or nailing the next feature, which, the "feature team" came up with!
Yes, yes, I know what you will say.
You will say...
"
Oh no, these teams are "cross-collaborative", and are free to interact with each other,
and lead things end-to-end, they are fully "autonomous"
"
But you must realize you are not talking to your "teammate" or your CEO,
you are taking to one who has "been there and done that",
and then also went ahead the extra mile to devoting and learning the Truth.
And nothing, nothing can stand face-to-face with the Truth.
What Truth?
The Truth, that your teams are not "autonomous".
The Truth, that if you have to foster "cross-collaboration" by listing it as one of your "team cultures",
it does not come close to real cross-collaboration,
for it only "simulates" your idea of it.
The Truth, that your teams are not at all "free",
for your teams are just that - "a team",
a group of folks with otherwise very bright minds,
but pigeonholed into being "just a team".
And because they are "just a team", they do not get to know what really it entails...
...to be autonomous (without forcing it),
...to let cross-collaboration surface (without making it a "team-principle" or a "policy"),
...to leverage their true skills (not just the ones listed in their resume.)
...to not have to try to be a "team" every single day.
Yes, dear friend.
You try to do every single thing the other way around.
Instead of "letting it happen", you "make it happen".
And when you do so,
you always, without fail do one of the two things.
You either do it too early or you do it too late.
ALWAYS.
And either way, you create a hell of a mess-up.
and you miss the real essence of team building and fostering.
What real essence, you wonder?
The essence that...
...in pushing for the team phenomenon, you push for things in the exact opposite direction,
and wonderfully "succeed" at ...
... not letting the best team surface...
...on its own.
Thank you.