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Everyone knows about the story of the tortoise and the hare. What most people don't know is that the there are several valuable lessons on teamwork to be learnt from the story..

Long time ago, a tortoise and a hare decided to take on one another on a race.

As the race started, the hare sprinted ahead briskly for some time. Realising that it will take some time for the tortoise to catch up with him, he decided to seek shelter from the sun under a tree before continuing the race. As he sat under the tree, he gradually fell asleep. The tortoise, crawling at a steady pace, eventually overtook him and won the race. The hare woke up and realised that his complacency cost him the trophy.

The moral of the story is that the determined, steady & hardworking paced people will eventually overtake the fast but complacent. 

Someone recently added a continuation to this age old tale. It goes like this: 

The hare realised that he was over confident, complacent and took things too easily. He decided to have a re-match with the tortoise. The tortoise accepted his challenge. 

This time, the hare ran with all his might and didn't stop until he crossed the finish line.

The moral of the story, fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady. 

But the story doesn't end here. 

This time, it was the tortoise that did the soul searching and he realized that if the hare didn't stop, there is no way he will beat him. He thought hard and decided on a different course and he challenged the hare to another re-match. The hare, of course, agreed. 

With the lessons learnt from his previous failure in mind, the hare kept on running once the race started and didn't stop until the route leads him to the bank of a river. He was taken by surprise and he did not know what to do, since he could not swim. There were no bridges in sight and no one to ask for directions. As he was cracking his head, thinking of ways to cross the river, the tortoise strolled slowly along, dived into the river, swam across it and ultimately, finished the race before the hare.

The moral of the story, know your strengths and take on your competitors in areas of your core competency. 

The story still hasn't ended. 

With the hare and the tortoise spending so much time together racing, they have become rather good friends, they have also developed mutual respect for one another as they realised that they are both different and they have different strengths. They decided to race again, but this time, as a team.

As the race started, the hare carried the tortoise and they sped to the river bank. There, they switched positions and the tortoise ferried the hare across the river. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they crossed the finishing line together. They completed the race in a record time that both of them can never achieve if they were to do it alone. They also felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.

The moral of the story, it's good to be individually brilliant & to have strong core competencies but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else does well. 

Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership. Being supportive team members is necessary for a team to advance. 

There are more lessons on to be learnt. Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could, but was not doing as well as he wished.

Imagine how long it will take the hare to learn how to swim or for the tortoise to learn to run fast.

Today, the environment changes at lightning speed, we have to learn to work with people who have strengths in areas that we do not have. 

It is the same in business, if we collaborate with people who are experts in areas that we are not familiar with, we realise that our market suddenly becomes bigger. 

Create a Culture of Teamwork
To make teamwork happen, these powerful actions must occur.
>The executive leaders always communicate the clear expectations that teamwork and collaboration are expected. No one completely owns a work area or process all by himself. People who own work processes and positions are open and receptive to ideas and input from others on the team.
>Executives model teamwork in their interaction with each other and the rest of the organisation. They maintain teamwork even when things are going wrong and the temptation is to slip back into former team unfriendly behaviour.
>The organisation members talk about and identify the value of a teamwork culture. If values are formally written and shared, teamwork is one of the key five or six.
>Teamwork is rewarded and recognised. The lone ranger, even if she is an excellent producer, is valued less than the person who achieves results with others in teamwork. Compensation, bonuses, and rewards depend on collaborative practices as much as individual contribution and achievement.
>Important stories and folklore that people discuss within the company emphasise teamwork.
People who “do well” and are promoted within the company are team players.
>The performance management system always places emphasis and value on teamwork.
>Often 360 degree feedback is integrated within the system. 

What is team building?

Team building is a purpose-driven process, developed according to a systematic plan, to create, maintain, and enrich the development of a group of people into a cohesive unit.

How's Your Team Spirit?

1. Describe the level of communication between team members:

a)       Afraid to communicate & listen to others.

b)       Don’t share thoughts and ideas

c)       Some share and listen to others

d)       Everyone shares but no one listens

e)       Everyone shares listens and understand.

2. Team Leader requests to improve team work

a)       All members are concerned

b)       Majority want to improve team work

c)       Majority want to work independently

d)       Each member wants to compete with the other

e)       Division in the group.

3. Leader invites views on a controversial issue. You observe

a)       No fear, express true views

b)       Don’t express the true views

c)       Depends when and where you have to express the views

d)       Best not say share your true views

4. 1 issue, 2 views – 1 from a senior and the other from a junior. You observe that

a)       Some members harsh on the junior.

b)       Listen to both views attentively.

c)       Favour the senior over the junior.

d)       Don’t listen to either’s views.

e)       Only listen to senior and ignore the junior.

5. A team member asks for help, you observe

a)       Every member hides their real motives & feelings 

b)       Majority are honest about their real motives & feelings 

c)       Some hide their real motives & feelings 

d)       Majority hide their real motives & feelings

e)       All are honest about their real motives & feelings

6. Team meets to discuss appraisal of employees. You observe

a)       A supportive atmosphere

b)       An extra supportive atmosphere

c)       About average support by members

d)       Improvement required in listening and communication

e)       Criticisms and blame game

7. Team meeting to plan, organize and strategize, you observe

a)       Lack of active participation from members

b)       Conflicts and difference are openly shared

c)       Most are participative

d)       Half actively participate & the rest do not

e)       Choose their words carefully

8. What is the perception of risk taking by members?

a)       No need for risk taking

b)       No pain no gain

c)       All well no change required

d)       Some want risks taken

e)       Unsure

9. Monthly team meeting to review progress, you observe

a)       Open discussion

b)       Only few members are concerned

c)       Some members play the blame game

d)       Some are concerned

e)       Blame game, passing responsibility is common in the team

Answers

Question 1

A=2, B=4, C=6, D=8, E=10

Question 2

A=10, B=8, C=6, D=4, E=2

Question 3

A=10, B=2, C=6, D= 4, E=8

Question 4

A=6, B=10, C=8, D=2, E=4

Question 5

A=2, B=4, C=6, D=8, E=10

Question 6

A=10, B=8, C=6, D=4, E=2

Question 7

A=2, B=4, C=6, D=8, E=10

Question 8

A=4, B=10, C=2, D=9, E=6

Question 9

A=10, B=8, C=6, D=4, E= 2

Your Score

80-100

Your team's atmosphere is healthy and conducive to achieving great results. The team can spend their time productively establishing goals, procedures, processes, and clarifying team members roles, i.e. performing the work of the team. Since atmosphere can change, it is advised that you periodically test the temperature to see if issues or concerns that are inhibiting the maintenance of this productive atmosphere are being openly discussed and dealt with.

60-79

On the surface, your team is healthy and productive. There are, however, a few areas below the surface that keep this team from living up to its potential. With time these areas will fester and become debilitating problems. Now is the time to bring these into the open and work with your team to establish how these can be improved.

Below 60

You are a group of people not a team. Individuality reigns, and there is very little sense of togetherness. This could be because you are a new team, or one that has never openly and candidly discussed how you work, or don't work together as a team. A more formal approach to team building can help your group get over this stage in their development. Ignoring the problems will not make them go away. To become an effective team will require a pro-active approach from both the team leader and members.