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The Virtual Project Team by Brian Tracy
When I began studying time management some years ago, I was amazed to
discover that all great accomplishments are the result of “multi-task
jobs.” Everything worthwhile is achieved by a variety of people coming
together to perform a variety of jobs, all of which are coordinated and
sequenced together to achieve a final result. Today, this model of the
virtual corporation or the virtual team is becoming the key to success
in both individual and business life.
A perfect example of the virtual project team would be the video crew
that makes my video training programs. This crew consists of about 10
people, most of whom know each other but all of whom work independently
from each other.
This is the way this type of team comes together. When I decide to
create a training program, I negotiate an agreement for the finished
product with a person who becomes the project’s executive producer. The
executive producer knows where to find the key people to make up the team.
And here is an important point: selection is 95 percent of success in
management.
For you to select the right people, you must be clear about the key
result areas and the standards of job performance. Most people judge
themselves on the basis of what they feel they are capable of doing in the
future, but you must only judge people based on what they have actually
accomplished in the past. The inability to choose people well for a
team can lead to under-achievement and failure.
The executive producer of the film crew will then begin hiring the
individual members of the video shooting team. First, he or she will hire
three cameramen, who come complete with state-of-the-art camera
equipment that they either own or rent for this project. Then there will be
lighting and sound specialists. A combination carpenter and designer will
be hired to concept and build the set for the video project. A floor
director will be selected who will coordinate the activities of the
cameramen, the people appearing in the video shoot, the sound person, the
light person, and the designer.
In addition to these people, there will be an editor and mixer who will
sit in the video sound booth and mix the project as it is shot and edit
it afterwards. Finally, there will be a make-up specialist who prepares
each of the performers for the shoot.
This makes for a total of 10 people, all specialists who are brought
together to focus on the production of a single video project. The actual
shoot itself can take anywhere from two hours to two weeks. When it is
over and everyone has done their jobs, the crew shakes hands and
disperses in different directions, going on to join other crews for other
video shoots under other circumstances.
In corporations today, the continuous formation and dissolution of
these “virtual teams” is becoming the norm for achieving goals. People who
specialize in their fields are brought together under a team leader to
perform a function or do a job and then disperse to become members of
other teams performing other functions. It is into this constant
formation and reformation of teams that you must integrate yourself so that
you can maximize your capacity to make a significant contribution
wherever you work.
Peter Drucker, in his book Managing in a Time of Great Change, points
out that there are three different types of teams, each of which is
appropriate for the achievement of specific goals.
The first type of team is the “baseball team” model. A surgical team in
an operating room, or even a video crew working as a team, fall into
this category.
In this model, the players have specific positions on the team that
they never leave. They do not have interchangeable positions: the
cameraman is always a cameraman, the shortstop is always a shortstop, etc. They
may work together in harmony, supporting and assisting each other, but
they always play their specific, designated role in their area of
specialization. In this “baseball team” type of model, each performer can be
evaluated and rewarded independently of the others.
The second type of team is the “football team” model. This is a little
different from the “baseball team” in that each player has a specific
role but they all work together in parallel to contribute their talents
to the achievement of a single goal. In the “football team” model,
there is a coach who calls the plays, there is a team against which they
compete, and there is a specific goal to be achieved. The members work
very closely with each other to move the ball down the field.
The third type of team is the “tennis doubles” model. This team
functions like a jazz combo, with the players harmonizing all their
activities, but with each player in charge of a specific instrument. Each person
has a fixed position, based on their area of specialization, but they
also cover for each other and respond as a team to the changes being
driven on the outside by the explosion of information, technology, and
competition.
The one thing all these teams have in common is that they must enjoy a
high degree of harmony and trust if they are to function at their best.
The principle of “synergy” says that the whole is greater than the sum
of the parts. Five or six people working together in complete harmony
toward a common goal can produce the work of 10 or 15, or even 20 people
who are disorganized or working at cross purposes.
None of these teams can substitute for each other. Each of them is
based on individuals performing in coordination with each other, but a
“baseball team” model cannot substitute for a “football team” model. And
neither of these models can substitute for a “tennis doubles” model. One
of the most important jobs you have is to determine the type of team
that you are either putting together or serving on.
A team is a tool with a specific purpose. Each team has its own use,
its own characteristics, its own requirements, and its own limitations.
Each team is formed to achieve a specific goal of some kind.
Remember, on every team, the 80/20 Rule applies. 80 percent of the work
is done by 20 percent of the people. Your goal is to be among the 20
percent of the team players who do 80 percent of the work. And never
worry about who gets the credit. Everyone always knows who the key team
players are. In fact, the more you give the credit away to others, the
more you will get back for yourself.
Your ability to integrate yourself into your organization and be an
excellent team player will do more to earn you the respect of others and
open doors of opportunity than you can possibly imagine. The winners and
high achievers in every area of life throw themselves wholeheartedly
into whatever they commit themselves to doing. They start a little
earlier, work a little harder, and stay a little later. They look upon every
assignment as an opportunity to grow in both experience and reputation.
And they recognize that every job they do carries their own personal
signature on it for everyone to read.
Copyright - Brian Tracy
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