Shemp, Larry, & Moe got it wrong! Building effective teamwork does not have to look as chaotic as an old Three Stooges comedy short. The secret is to establish ground rules that encourage mutual support (No slapping! No eye pokes!)--and then enforce the code.

• Author: Mooney, Jim
• Position: Sales Management

Skip this article if you are managing one of those rare financial sales/marketing organizations that does not need effective teamwork to meet your annual sales goals. But ... if your bottom line depends on people talking to each other, supporting each other, and working well together, and you have problems in these areas, maybe this discussion will help you.

Teamwork is not a natural phenomenon in banking. How many times were you told when you were growing up that, "The way to succeed in life is to be dependent on other human beings?" People in our culture for the most part are raised to be independently successful, to have all the answers, to make the breakthroughs under their own steam.

This reality means that organizations have to work at working together.

Some questions you might consider when reviewing the level of teamwork in your organization:

* What are the teamwork ground rules?

What are the agreements you have about how you will work together and how you will not?

Many financial institutions don't have them. In some, for example, it's OK for the dealmakers to beat up on people when their deals don't pass the credit process, or to inject your selling effort into someone vise's client or relationship without clearing it first, or to get all your paperwork done at the last minute so you can pressure the approval process. Of course, few organizations would own up to it, but the reality is that individuals' off-purpose behaviors or practices are tolerated because "They deliver the results," even though they present substantial barriers to building the trust and confidence and mutual reliance that characterizes effective teams. Organizations that are serious about teamwork put clear rules in place in the form of consensus-building processes (under the umbrella of "team building") that are fully inclusive of the people who will have to live by them.

* Does the organization tolerate the breaking of the rules? Is there any meaningful penalty attached to breaking the rules, especially for doing it consistently?

Again, the primary criteria in many organizations is, "Does he or she deliver the goods?" Of course, at its extreme, this attitude is a recipe for disaster in bringing in loans or accounts that the organization really shouldn't take (because the salespersons relationships deteriorate to the point where they tune out--or turn off--voices they should be listening to).

* Are there meaningful rewards for following the rules? Successful...