The Basics of Team Building Part 1/5

To be a good individual you must think of yourself first.

When people join a team they keep this mind set. Most people serve themselves in the team first. What do I stand to gain? How can I can I win? Then, if it's not too inconvenient, they'll think of helping their fellow team mates. Finally, they'll consider the mission. This is why most teams don't work, because the mission is the last thing to be considered. Just apply this mentality to a sports team and think about if they'd win.

When you join a team you must be unified by a mission or sense of purpose. Before you become part of a team you should consider if that mission serves you. Do you believe in it? Will it make you better off? You have to do this because another sure way for this not to work is if you're on a team where serving its mission first doesn't ultimately serve you.

Even if you want to be part of a team and the mission is what you want, however, you still might not know how to have a good team. Some of the main concerns are: 1) will my team mates serve the mission first, 2) what if I'm not good enough on the team, 3) what if I get obligated to do something I can't do, and 4) what about bad days

Knowing the answers to these is knowing the basics of team building, and I'll address each in turn in parts 2 to 5.