What is More Important; A Great Business Idea or a Great Team?

This weekend I decided to take the time to become involved in an on-line discussion through Harvard Business Review Linked In Group. The question posed was; What is more important – a great business idea or a great team?

Many of us talked about how both are important; some said that a good idea is the key; many said the team is the most important, and some of us said both are necessary. As I read through the comments and made my own, I came to a conclusion from my work as a consultant, which inspired me to write this article.

Good ideas are sustainably created in cultures where teams thrive and have created a safe place to risk and to present ideas that might not be understood at first or might need to be reworked. Great teams enhance and implement ideas to create marketable and sustainable business

Although great ideas are important for the creation of products and services, a beginning awareness and focus on communication and team connections would serve in the long run to be fertile ground for even more innovation and creativity.

It is commonplace now for teams to be virtual, and teamwork can be fostered with a virtual team also. Often people think that communication is difficult because of team members who are not present on site. However, the miscommunication and lack of communication in cultures where connection is not fostered can be the same on site or virtually.

I have three areas that I suggest teams focus on in order to function more effectively; it is a collaborative tripod consisting of:

  • Communication
  • Accountability
  • Solution Focus (versus placing blame)

Below are a few suggestions for using this tripod to more effectively communicate your ideas to create greater buy-in from your teams:

  • I suggest one scheduled meeting to begin that is a “must attend.” This is the opportunity to work with more effective communication and to have the team learn about each other. The exercise seems to bring in new understanding and tolerance as well as clarity.
  • The meeting should last for one hour and 15 minutes. As the leader of the meeting you will do this process first. Ask each person to take a few minutes to introduce themselves as if they have not met. During the introduction have them say their name, their role in the company and how they see that role contributing to the overall strategy of the business.
  • After everyone has spoken, and remember, it is important to keep going without asking questions. Time for discussion and questions can be given at the end of the meeting so that others can become clearer about roles.

As a leader it is important to take some intentional time to envision where you want to go and how you will get there with the team and then effectively communicate that for the greatest buy-in. If you have questions about this meeting, send me an email so I can forward more details and schedule a 15- minute discussion to answer questions.

Also, you may recall in my last article I shared and offered to my online community, a current beginning of the year Consultation Session. Space is filling up quickly! To secure a time and review more information on what is included in this valuable session and how it will create a sense of clarity about the business results you really want to have for 2013 visit here.

Have you been challenged with getting buy-in from your team?  Or do you have a success story you would like to share? Please be sure to leave a comment, I’d enjoy hearing from you!  – Patricia