“Connectivity is everything on a team.  You are a team, or you are a group.” – P. J. Fleck, University of Minnesota football coach   

We strive for teams, not disconnected groups.   

You’ll get to fill out our annual climate survey in a few weeks.  We learned a while back that teams that survive and thrive exhibit specific characteristics.   

In our survey you are asked:  

Does someone care about you?  

You are willing to work hard for a boss who cares about you.  You are willing to strive for excellence with teammates who care about you.  You will go the extra mile for colleagues who care about you.   

Are your fellow teammates committed to quality work?  

When everybody on your team cares about doing work that makes you distinctive, pride and confidence develop.  I spent some time in plants this week which were new to me.  The groups who were committed to good work were obvious.  Their places were organized.  Their product was uniform.  They moved with purpose.   

Do you have a best friend at work?

When you labor hard, produce results, and create a team, friendships form.  Some of my best friends in life were made in the arena as we created something significant.   

Teams connect.