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Working Together For One Common Goal

By Nicole Jones posted 02-10-2017 16:02

  

Late this past summer we experienced a drastic change in the way our team would function as a unit moving forward.  The Scott Family Athletics Performance Center opened late in August, creating an amazing new space for coaches, student-athletes and athletic department staff to enjoy.  Nestled within this newly constructed building lays the External Affairs suite, housing not only the Marketing team, but the Sports Information and Digital Media teams as well in the same office space.  Talk about a shock to the system, all three teams with very different personalities all sharing one office suite with only one common goal, making the student-athlete experience the best it can be.


Looking back on how the transition went is something that truly was not that difficult.  The reason for such success was centered on 6 core strategies that our department believed strongly in from the start to develop a cohesive team environment.

  1. Identify the Objective: Each member of the team must clearly understand the team objective and agree upon an ultimate goal.
  2. Keep Communication Lines Open: This seems to be the key to success.  Encourage team members to communicate with each other regularly not only through email, but face to face as well.  Allow groups to develop their own methods to assist with communication.
  3. Encourage and Promote Trust: Each team member must believe and trust in the others and develop relationships that extend beyond the workplace.
  4. Assist In Conflict Resolution & Encourage Feedback: Even the best teams in the world will experience conflict; great teams will overcome conflict and come out better than they were before.  Encourage healthy debate and allow individuals to speak their minds in a safe environment. 
  5. Laugh Together: Laughter is a common language that everyone understands.  Create time for people to loosen up and be who they truly are.
  6. Celebrate & Have Fun: Primary responsibility is to get work done, however leave time for fun and celebrate successes.  Bring treats into the office after a huge accomplishment, celebrate team member’s birthday with a cake or order lunch in for the entire office on a busy day during the year.


As we head in to the spring and our schedules get more hectic by the hour, try to take time to be a good team member and enjoy the people around you.

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02-16-2017 16:03

Thanks for sharing, Nicole. I've often heard of people wanting to put marketing/comm/media in the same working spaces but know very few people personally who work in an environment like that. It's got to be an overall good thing, but a drastic change for sure! I'll have to ask you more about it next time I see you. I hope all is well!