“Teamwork makes the dream work,” so the saying goes.
Undoubtedly we all have anecdotes that support this idea, and quite rightly so. But the best teams, surely, are those that know themselves well, that can identify and improve upon their weaknesses and that can help each other to exploit their strengths.
We’ve had a fun session this morning, using a series of visual, online and discursive tools to step back from ‘front line’ activities and to get to know each other – and ourselves – better.
A few observations: apparently, we all like to ‘plan ahead’ (which is perhaps comforting given our line of work!) but we vary greatly in other ways. Our differences may mean that by nature, one person’s favourite communication style is another’s worst nightmare… but these same differences also offer a multifaceted approach to tackling problems and producing excellent solutions for our clients.
Not only that; having acknowledged our diverse skills, personality types and preferences, we are excited to discover how we can help each other cultivate clearer communication both within and outside the team. For after all, what use are our ‘brilliant ideas’ if we cannot help other people grasp them? Planning is ultimately about promoting public benefit… and our communication of that matters greatly.