Sometimes you volunteer but many times it just happens…you end up on a team! Only we don’t always know exactly where to focus.

Even if the sponsor is clear about the desired outcome, it is NOT always clear how the people on the team can make the biggest impact. Each person may even be a “high-performer” yet putting them in a room (or Zoom) together does not automatically make a high performing team.

One concept to help is “doing what ONLY WE can do”. It begins with the members identifying what things they can do to add value as a team. Explore where the combined strengths of the team members come together. For example, what can they do together no other individual or group can. Sort the list so those requiring more team collaboration are at the top versus those centered on individual effort.

After that, further prioritize the list by thinking about how each item in the list impacts the company. It could be higher revenues, better sustainability, increased employee morale or other benefit. You don’t need a full ROI calculation but think in terms of orders of magnitude. What will bring the most benefits to the company as a whole?

The items where people add more value together AND deliver bigger impact to the company are the right ones to focus for the team. This helps clarify where collaboration brings the most value – doing what ONLY WE can do!