The past two weeks had been a blur and the project was no further along than it was a month ago. Marilyn was beside herself. True, her team had been having problems, but that was what the seminar was all about. They had traveled off-site, climbed ropes, cheered each other around an obstacle course. Now, they were back and nothing had changed.

No group hugs here. If you want to create teamwork, get a group of people together, who each have a stake in the process and solve a real problem. Teamwork is not a goal of management. Teamwork is a process created by a manager to solve a real problem.

Often, I see companies spend a ton of money on feel-good programs in a feeble attempt to build a team. This feel-good stuff promotes teamwork, but teamwork is much more in the real world. Teamwork is driven by a purpose. Real teamwork is driven by real purposes. Long lasting teamwork is driven by long lasting purposes. Intense teamwork is driven by intense purposes.

If you want to build a team, get a group of people together and solve a real problem. -TF