“Great teams are made when they are forged in the fire of conflict, and through confrontation they come out stronger.” – Michael Gervais
In order to be a great team, there needs to be challenge. Overcoming obstacles is the best way to build a strong team. It will (ultimately) bring the team together and give them confidence the next time that they are facing a difficult situation.
One important barrier that teams must constantly face and overcome is having difficult conversations with the team. Whether this is disagreeing with each other when it comes to taking the next action step, or calling team members out/holding them accountable for something that they said they would take care of but didn’t, facing this conflict head on can be very difficult.
In going from a good team to a great team, team members cannot be afraid to bring up difficult discussions and they must be willing to be uncomfortable for the greater good of the team.
This is easier said than done because most people (myself included) don’t like conflict, so we try everything we can to avoid it. But if you do this, it will lead to mediocrity. As long as you’re not name-calling and as long as the person you’re questioning knows that you’re disagreeing with them for the greater good of the team, then it will help the team move forward. Healthy conflict with team members you love and trust is necessary to become great.