Nobody is perfect, but a team can be

I connected with Marieme Jamme via Ecademy and we met for the first time early in June this year. During that meeting she told me about the 10,000 girls project in Senegal and the proposed trip in November. I was very pleased when she asked if I would consider joining the team.

Over the last few weeks I have got to know Richard White via telephone conferences and emails, although we have yet to meet in person. A number of other people have also become involved and they will reveal themselves in due course.

It is clear that Marieme and Richard have been talking and thinking about this venture for many months. Now a team is forming and people are asking questions and making suggestions that challenge, and sometimes contradict, the vision held by Marieme and Richard. It can be a painful process creating a team. It is worth remembering the four stages of group development - forming, storming, norming, and performing. All teams go through these stages and this model helps us to understand our emotions as the team develops. Sometimes bringing a new person into an established team can set the process back a stage or two.

Many of you will be familiar with the Belbin team roles. There may be benefit in applying this model to the team. I know from previous projects that my dominant role is "Monitor Evaluator". I suspect that I have already spotted the "Shaper" and the "Plant" in the team (but I may be wrong). Each team role makes a valuable contribution, but each role can also have weaknesses. This is why team building is so important. All the Belbin roles need to be represented in a successful team.

Nobody is perfect, but a team can be!

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