Effective teams

  • Published
  • By Maj. Keith Bland
  • Commander, USAF Band of the Golden West
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  As we celebrated Veterans Day this past week, I was reminded of some of my earliest impressions from my own military experience.

I learned quickly (and sometimes painfully) during my initial training that successful service to our nation was going to require me to break free from my narrow, self-oriented mindset. I also remember from my first days in the Air Force a profound sense of being part of something much larger than myself and pride in being part of this new, world-class team.

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of serving with some pretty amazing teams. The professional Air Force bandsmen I work with every day are truly remarkable men and women. They bring years of experience and formal education to the Air Force, and their excellence as musicians serves to educate the American public about the contributions and sacrifices that all Airmen make on a daily basis in defense of our freedoms. Playing in a band takes a tremendous amount of teamwork, and so does serving in our Air Force. I'd like to point out three characteristics that I believe are keys for any successful team.

One attribute of a successful team member is competence. We audition musicians from across the country, many with advanced degrees, to identify qualified band members for each position. It's not unusual to have 20 to 30 civilian applicants for one of our openings, so we're able to truly hire the best of the best. Team members have the confidence to perform their roles professionally when they can trust that everyone else in the group is highly proficient. A second team characteristic, "continuous growth," doesn't happen without motivation and strong support from supervisors at all levels. We set high standards for our members to keep their musical skills honed to an expert level through group rehearsals and individual practice regimens. When the prevailing mindset in a unit reflects a commitment to improvement and personal growth, everyone benefits.

A final key attribute I've found in successful teams is cooperation. Two basically equal teams (in terms of talent and resources) can produce drastically different results based on their level of cooperation. While healthy competition is a necessary part of any organization, I've seen groups where members will consistently highlight the shortcomings of their teammates in an effort to "come out on top." In these negative environments, mutual respect is lost, as members seem more concerned with other's perceptions than they do with the mission. Conversely, highly-cooperative teams tend to have members that understand each other's strengths and weaknesses in order to configure themselves most effectively. If a member has a deficit in one area, someone else on the team can pick up the slack, allowing the other member to focus on an area where their strengths can better benefit the mission.

It all boils down to having an attitude of appreciation for what every member can bring to the team and encouraging each other to focus on accomplishing the mission at the very highest level. A continued focus on competence, growth and cooperation can help any Air Force team perform with the excellence our nation's defense requires.