The 5 Pillars of Top Teams, from Google's Research

My take on the result of Google's research on the pillars of an effective team.

Interestingly they found that being in the same IRL place made no difference. It also didn't matter too much who was in the team.

The answer is that it's about how people work together. Below is what you should nurture.

Feeling 'safe'

e.g. if I make a mistake, it's not held against me

• First off, having a friendly and well-bonded group is key. No assholes.
• As a leader, being vulnerable will make it easier for others when they need to be.
• Focus on the Five Whys when things go wrong.
• You will know you've achieved this when people in your time can "be themselves"

Dependability

e.g. trusting someone to follow through with a task

• Have clear responsibilities for team members.
• Ensure that everyone understands what everyone else is and isn't responsible for.
• Never assign ownership of a task to more than one person.
• Only trust accountable individuals with responsibility.

Structure and clarity

i.e. why are we doing this, what is the desired outcome

• Always start with the "bigger picture". Distil the context.
• Then go on to describing what success looks like.
• Have clear, transparent, measurable goals (use OKRs)
• Repeat, repeat, repeat the message.

Meaning

i.e. is the work fulfilling

• Challenging work that matches your talents is fulfilling.
• That work should align with a noble mission statement.
• Helping someone (client, team member) always feels good.

Impact

i.e. team members can see their work matters

• Publicly share success - there is no audience too big.
• Re-iterate how individual work contributes to the big picture.
• Reflect on where you were 6 months ago.