When do virtual teams reach their limits?

The «We» factor

Have you ever worked in a group of people that managed to establish a special spirit? A sense that everyone was acting in concert and working towards a common goal? That all members of the team were on the same page? Have you ever worked in a genuinely great team atmosphere? If you have, you experienced what I call the sense of «We». It is what often makes the small difference between very good and outstanding teams, between succeeding and a great success. I had the immense privilege to be part of such teams, in some case to lead them. The teams of Weltklasse Zürich and of the 2014 European Athletics Championships had the «We» factor, and so did the Alinghi team. But so far, I have never seen it in a virtual team.

Trust a necessary foundation

The sense of «We» is based on trust, one of the most powerful human emotions. If people trust one another, they are more likely to consider other opinions, to accept various perspectives, and to subordinate themselves to a common goal. Trust is the necessary foundation for the sense of «We» and for the success of a team. But how can we create trust?

Focus on strengths

Always begin by recognising your own self. The process may be difficult: Much of our thinking and many of our actions are happening subconsciously and are therefore impalpable. The second step involves engaging with fellow team members. The best way to go about this is by focusing on positive personality traits first, which means looking at strengths only during both step one and two.  The road to success as a team always leads via individual and common strengths and never via discussing weaknesses. The latter will almost always create negative reactions and resistance.