Teamwork 3

From the top-notch Creative Generalist comes a post that The Jenius wishes He could have read 20 years ago. Despite numerous brushes with articulating this very simple, very valuable Truth, The Jenius never really got it right. A research jag into future Jenius topics uncovered this gem, to a combination of sheer admiration and a touch of chagrin.

Called "Rule 33", it tells you exactly what you need--and don't need--to create a successful project team:


"Rule 33 is really quite simple. It goes as such: There are three things that a strong team absolutely must have and there are three things that a strong team must absolutely do away with. 3 and 3. Like I said, simple.

A strong team must consist of a bunch of incredibly talented individuals who understand their role and everyone else's roles within an organization and who work their asses off to get done whatever it is they do.

Conversely, a strong team absolutely cannot accommodate idiots, slackers, and big egos.

That's it. Your team is soaring if it has all of the first three things and none of the last three things.

In a nutshell:
---Talented Individuals - people who are already themselves capable and driven.
---Understood Roles - it's a concert, a symphony, a fastbreak...the interaction and passing is what counts here.
---Hard Work - anything worth accomplishing requires effort; lots of it.

---No Idiots - just don't hire dumb people; leave them for the competition.
---No Slackers - everyone must be firing on all cylinders; get rid of the deadwood.
---No Prima Donnas - check your ego at the door, cause nobody's bigger than the project."


Simple. But like so many simple things, so very difficult to do. Twenty years and hundreds of projects tell Me Steve Hardy has encapsulated a Business Law, that rarity of such value that it should be engraved in every business person's mind.

Start now. Look at your own projects at see if any of them live up to Rule 33. If they don't, do something about it. And don't settle for less than full adherence to Rule 33 in your future projects.

Take it from Me: you can't afford to settle for less.

The Jenius Has Spoken.