Teams aren’t built, they’re grown

We talk so much about team building, but teams aren’t houses. A jelled team isn’t built. You can’t nail the parts together and expect it to jell.

Teams are more like plants. The cliche holds true. You find fertile soil, plant some seeds, keep up with watering, give it the right amount of light, and cross your fingers.

Sometimes a jelled team emerges from the ground, and sometimes it doesn’t. You get better and more consistent at it over time, but sometimes nothing grows and you don’t know why.

Let’s stop talking about team building and start talking about team growing.