We often hear players of great sports teams refer to each other as family. In a similar way, members of military units refer to themselves as?brothers. They are family on and off the battlefield.
Groups of people?bonded together so closely that they are family?that?s the kind of team I want to be a part of. That?s the kind of team I want to lead. This is the fifth value I?d like to share in our series on Values of a Great Team.
More than a team. A family.
Good organizations talk about teamwork. Great ones talk about family. 
I acknowledge that there are some families that don?t get along all that well. But those aren’t the families we are modeling our leadership after.?I am talking about tightly knit families, like the family I grew up in. I am blessed to be part of a family where sacrifice is commonplace?and?courtesy and gentleness is generously practiced; where standing together in tough times is standard and supporting the weak and injured is normality; where memories are intentionally created and destinies are joined; where the tears of one impact the rest and the progress of one?causes the rest to move forward; and where a wayward member is quickly brought back.
Would you not like to have this bond and this culture with the teams that you lead? Here are some pointers for leaders to consider as we are forming these super-strong teams we call?our families.
Our speech is impeccable.
Words can cut through relationships like a sharp razor, often causing them to bleed to death. Great families make their speech impeccable, gentle, honest, and not presumptuous.?In family, gossip is not permitted. It is simply not the culture.?Spreading rumors, or talking badly about others, is not to be tolerated.?It must be confronted head on.
To create a strong family at work, everyone must practice high standards of speech. If gossip surfaces, deal with it head on. Bring all who are?involved?in the gossip together in the same room. Insist that if someone gossips in secret, you as the leader, will bring it out into the open. “Please don’t tell so and so” will not be accepted. Do not stand for gossip.
We create unity.
We must be intentional as leaders to encourage unity as a group. There are many resources that offer games and team-building exercises. Anything we can do together to advance unity on our team should be our obsession.
It could be volunteering together in our community. It could be going out to the parking lot as a group to clean up. It could be going to a conference to learn together. Creating such memories will build team unity over time.
We stand by each other.
We stand by the weak, uplifting them. We celebrate the successes of others, encouraging them. Standing by each other does not mean putting up with decadent behaviors. It means exercising the grace, the underserved kindness, that we all need sometimes.
When you enter?an organization that has a family culture like this, you can feel it. You can sense more than love. You feel a deep bond that pervades the halls of the workplace.
Actionable Step: Consider creating a family atmosphere in your organization or team. Discuss it with your team and get their feedback.
Your Friend,
For Further Reading:
Four Secrets To Resilient Relationships
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