"You're it until you die or I find someone better." (ST)

9) Sometimes teams will have to hunker down and ignore the other just to be focused on the goal. It doesn't mean there is tension or they don't care. See #7.

Imagine you are creating the world's first craft that will orbit the earth. That craft has numerous systems for its operation, meaning there are numerous project teams going for the same goal. Everyone is under one banner. What happens when the orbital craft booster team can't figure out a proper firing sequence? Do they run to the rocket propulsion engineers? Sure. The brainpower of the bunch could solve the problem. But what if the rocket propulsion engineers are facing their own problem? Like creating enough boost to lift 800,000 pounds off the Earth.

Teams going for the same goal not only need to be talented enough to solve its own problems, but also need to work autonomously. Some teams don't need to know certain details because they are not relevant to the others. The rocket propulsion team doesn't really need to know that the interior wiring team used black, white, and striped wires because in a green or red light environment, colors look similar.

In your team communications, what information is really necessary for the other teams to accomplish the goals? Does finance need to know the color of the box is blue to signify water and calmness? Does marketing need to know the new 400,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility will be delayed 4 months because of a labor dispute?

Information should not have to be drilled down. It takes a bit of tact and skill to ask the correct questions, and direct people to the answer that is needed to move forward.

So when a team is focused on accomplishing its goal, everything is white noise until it affects the forward progress of the teams.

"Hey Peter....What's happening......." (OS)

8) Be prepared to fight for some territory between teams. Just hug it out. Hug it out.

If you want a particular asset, fight for it. Or at least provide sound reasons for getting your own. Don't just throw a tantrum and expect to get your way. If the teams begin to step on each other's toes, than catch it early and resolve it. Maybe it's time to expand. Also realize that whatever asset is in the tug-o-war, objectively look at which team needs it the most.

"Nobody tosses a Dwarf!" (LOTR:FOTR)

Ever wonder why drive thrus are on the opposite side of a fast-food joint? It's not because it's a better safety system to keep moving vehicles away from walk-in customers. It's not because it's a efficient use of land. It's not because it allows drive-thru customers the opportunity to see which workers smoke, or do worse than cook your food.

It's because having a drive-thru on the opposite side (that is- you can't see it when you pull in) is a customer will never know the line is backed up until after you order and get caught in the labyrinth.

Meanwhile, back at the Hall of Justice...
7) If everyone is focused on the same goal, no one should feel left out or discouraged.

Everyone on the team has different skill sets and abilities. Along those lines, they have their own expectations of performance. I don't expect to run a 4.4 40 dash. Prolly not even 6 sec. Same with other expectations. Have goals, aim for them, and have respectable expectations.

Additionally, everyone on the team has varying degrees of responsibility. Just because the Head Coach won "Coach of the Year", that doesn't make the lineman coach any less valuable. And on the other hand, the authority and responsibility is quite different between the coaching levels.

It's the end result- performance- that matters. The different roles culminate to create a winning team.

"I don't need you! I only need this chair. And maybe this stapler." (Paraphrased- TJ)

6) Economies of scale do not apply in regards to physical things. Creative and intellectual, yes.

Easy here. More people in the teams, more you need to supply them. Some need expensive tools. Each team member is unique and must be catered to in some regard. Sure, Post-It notes and staplers you can buy in bulk. But not a Quad-Quad G5 Power Mac with 16GB of RAM, 1.5TB of storage, and a 30" LCD monitor. Plus software. If none of that made any sense, it's a geek-out. Office space, phones, anything that a new member gets, it's always a onesy-twosy thing. No start-up really gets a bulk discount for ordering 300 Herman Miller Aeron chairs for a starting staff of 5.

Additionally, as a team grows, the "buying" of people (salary, bonuses) doesn't get cheaper with the more you "buy". The return is through creative ideas, smarter working processes, departmentalized work, and sharing of the workload. Essentially an increase in the bottom line.

"Fixed the newel post!" (CV)

5) Tools can be shared between teams, but crucial (read: expensive) tools have to be doubled.

Sure, everyone can borrow a cup of sugar or share the same user manuals, but each team needs to have its own set of tools. Tools are used to get the job done, whether the job is changing a light bulb or using a multi-million dollar HD video satellite distribution system. So each team needs either access to the same toolbox, or a separate toolbox for its very own.

On the race team, we share one toolbox, but have duplicate tools for each team to use. These are crucial tools; like car radios, tire equipment (measurement tools), battery chargers, and tire pyrometers (basically a tire thermometer). A tire pyrometer costs a few hundred bucks for a top-of-the-line product, and since Team A has one, Team B needs to have the same one because tools remain constant among the users. Car communications also are important. A set of radios for the car and driver setup, crew sets, battery chargers, belts, and extraneous parts, it can cost up to $5,000 for the tools. It isn't cheap, but these are the tools required to get the job done, and both teams need them.

The basic and oddly-used hand tools are not expensive and can be readily used and available between the teams. On the race team, $500-600 would double the amount of hand tools available and replace missing ones.

In relation to expansion, another critical tool that can't be duplicated (and is expensive) is the leader of the new team. It isn't possible to sustain two teams that share one leader. Each team will have to become autonomous, yet still strive for the same goals.

"Show him the watch. Go on, show him. It's a Rolex." (DH)

4) Each team has a different communication mix.

This one to me is fairly obvious. Think about Team A. Been around for a while, people are comfortable with who they work with, the interaction is fluid. Anyone who doesn't share the team vision has departed the team, or has made peace with just doing their part.

Team B comes along. New group of people. New interaction with others. Some people in Team A move to help Team B grow, which can be a problem for those entrenched in the Team A environment. The internal communication mix suddenly becomes diverse in Team B, and adds a new mix with Team B to Team A.

If the Teams are located in different areas, like church campuses, then Team B may use different communications techniques to the Team and its audience. Urban downtown location is busy, busy, busy, so e-mail, street posters, handouts and noisy cell phone calls may be the most effective tools. In Rural farmland, a home phone call for 45 minutes, a letter, and a house visit may be effective tools. Each tool requires different content, delivery, and lead time to effectively present the Team goals.

The quicker a communication mix is understood and adapted to, the quicker Team B can perform. No dropped projects, miscommunication of main points, and everyone stays on the same road.

"Game over, man! Game over!" (A)

1) Team leaders will always help or guide the team in most need. And usually the team in most need is the new team.

Sometimes extra guidance or assistance will be needed because new teams don't exactly mesh and perform right away. After one team has been established, the new team usually has an unspoken expectation to perform similar to the established team. That doesn't happen because teams need time to meld and find their chemistry.

Team leaders will be needed to help guide a new team. While that "help" comes in different forms, sometimes it means removing oneself from the main team and going to work for the new team. This affects both teams in great amounts.

Team 1 loses a valuable player who has a role and everyone trusts that person will complete that role. Team 2 gains experience and knowledge. Team 1 will have to find someone new and fill the void, and reform the team. Team 2 will have the new leader form his/her expectation of a team with new members that are completely different. A smart team leader will realize the different personalities and learn to pull the power each member has, rather than trying to form an identical copy of Team 1.

Information sharing between the teams is also help. Sometimes a Team 2 doesn't have preconceived notions that Team 1 has, and can solve particular problems quicker. Transfer that knowledge to Team 1 and improve performance.

Teams helping teams benefits performance because the efforts of each team are not wasted trying to solve the same problem or gain knowledge already obtained. Think about how we learn to read. Someone who knows how taught someone who didn't. Sure, the teacher read rudimentary literature, but the beginner was able to understand so much faster than going it alone.

"The human head weighs 8 pounds." (JM)

My last post I brought up the point that starting a second race team will probably be similar to starting a second church. Of course that statement is a bit simplified, but I think concepts exist between the two teams that similarities will overlap.

Speaking of teams, if you haven't read Roger Habich's blog, he is focusing on the Total Velocity Motorsports team. Eventually he will get to a couple of team members that play a back-stage role that is really important in projecting the excellence of the race team. They may not be able to be at the track during race day, but the job they do is top-notch and appreciated by everyone who works on the car. It is an example of all the men and women behind the scenes that pull off a Sunday morning experience at TRC.

And segue back into my two-team management and interaction model:

The [unscientific and unproven] laws of 2 [1 established, 1 new] teams:
1) Team leaders will always help or guide the team in most need.
2) Not every team will be equal or treated equally.
3) The same thing in one team won't necessarily work in the other.
4) Each team has a different communication mix.
5) Tools can be shared between teams, but crucial (read: expensive) tools have to be doubled.
6) Economies of scale do not apply in regards to physical things. Creative and intellectual, yes.
7) If everyone is focused on the same goal, no one should feel left out or discouraged.
8) Be prepared to fight for some territory between teams. Just hug it out. Hug it out.
9) Sometimes teams will have to hunker down and ignore the other just to be focused on the goal. It doesn't mean there is tension or they don't care. See #7.
10) Team notes are to be shared. Keeping them separate is key, but definitely share them and make them accessible.

If I don't go ADD, I'll try and explain each point and provide support for my thoughts.