The Most Successful Teams Share These 5 Traits

The first science lab I ever worked in had 18 people, including us graduate students, lab technicians, the post-docs, and 2 Principal Investigators. In the years since, I went from labs of that size to ones where it was just me and the PI. Dependability was never a factor because we all did our own thing, we all had our individual responsibilities and if we failed to accomplish our tasks, we hurt ourselves most. The rest of the list were as natural as breathing; everyone knew what they needed to get done, it meant much to them and it served the greater good, and it was expected that you contributed ideas and asked questions (introverts and extroverts alike).

It's different in the business and nonprofit world. Some of the biggest struggles the boards I've been on is defining goals (and even mission/vision statements) and making sure every decision aligns with those goals. Perhaps because of my experience in science, I've never worried about #5 on my own part, though I have friends who are much better than I at insisting everyone has an opportunity to provide input that is closely listened to and considered thoughtfully. I've seen where people not adhering to #1 and #2 really wreck team cohesiveness and motivation.

Google Spent 2 Years Studying 180 Teams. The Most Successful Ones Shared These 5 Traits
Insights from Google's new study could forever change how teams are assembled.
By Michael Schneider

Over the years, Google has embarked on countless quests, collected endless amounts of data, and spent millions trying to better understand its people. One of the company's most interesting initiatives, Project Aristotle, gathered several of Google's best and brightest to help the organization codify the secrets to team effectiveness.

Specifically, Google wanted to know why some teams excelled while others fell behind.

Before this study, like many other organizations, Google Execs believed that building the best teams meant compiling the best people. It makes sense. The best engineer plus an MBA, throw in a PhD, and there you have it. The perfect team, right? In the words of Julia Rozovsky, Google's people analytics manager, "We were dead wrong."

Through Google's Re:Work website, a resource that shares Google's research, ideas, and practices on people operations, Rozovsky outlined the five key characteristics of enhanced teams.
1. Dependability.
2. Structure and clarity.
3. Meaning.
4. Impact.
5. Psychological Safety.

I'm curious, what are your experiences? Would you add anything to this list?

How do you think this is handled in the political arena? As you go from city councils and boards of county commissioners on up to state and federal levels, the numbers of other people involved get significantly more complicated yet it's worked for the most part for over 200 years. Where is(are) the breakdown(s) occurring and how can the ship be righted as we seem to be in a particularly contentious political period?

That's fantastic that you've got an environment in which others are there long-term with you driver8, that speaks volumes. It is such a shame that these days it doesn't seem like employers reward longevity and loyalty enough. It's hard to build a cohesive team when the players are regularly changing.