Why Your Team Should Be Like the Avengers
This past weekend, I saw Avengers: Endgame in theaters. (Don't worry. There are no spoilers in this post.) As I watched the movie, I appreciated how well it portrayed the realities of team dynamics.
It becomes obvious as one watches Marvel movies that each member of the Avengers team has a specific set of skills that is necessary to complete the mission. Some abilities seem more important than others, but all the members of the team are necessary for success.
Along with these differing skills come corresponding character virtues and flaws. A central theme in many of the movies is how the heroes work together despite clashing personalities. This is true of most teams. Whether it is a sports team, a business unit, or a class project group, people have to navigate conflicting personalities in order that everyone will contribute the unique skills needed to complete the task.
In many Marvel movies, Captain America (Steve Rogers) and his calm, honorable, and humble nature is at odds with Iron Man's (Tony Stark) frantic, bombastic, and egotistical mannerisms. Even with these opposing leadership styles, the Avengers find ways to get the job done.
Two Lessons on Teamwork from the Avengers
The first lesson we can learn from the Avengers is to understand yourself and your team members and plan accordingly. To succeed, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers must understand what make each other tick. They work best together when they establish distinct roles and plans of action that complement their skills and personalities. When they ignore these factors or do not plan sufficiently ahead of time, they find themselves in disagreements and tense situations.
In applying this lesson to your own life, do not assume that just because you are on a team with someone that you will get along with each other. You will set yourself up to fail if you do not plan for personality differences. Acknowledge your traits and find ways to smooth the relationship. In some cases this might mean working separately on different parts of the project or only giving feedback to each other in a group setting, in order to keep the feedback civil. The second lesson the Avengers can teach us is to focus on a common goal.
At the end of the day, the Avengers are a functional team because they all want the same ultimate goal: to keep the world safe. Conflicts arise about how to best accomplish this end and how much they are willing to risk, but there is never a question of whether it is a good thing to keep the world safe. When the Avengers are focused on this common goal, they are an incredible team. This is the driving force that unifies the team and helps them to effectively combine their unique talents and personalities.
In the same way, you must keep the ultimate goal in focus when working in a team, especially one with competing personalities. Find ways to draw attention back to the common purpose when conflicts arise. Spend less time arguing about the ancillary details and more time striving toward the goal. Even if some of the less important things are not done exactly the way you would do them, be willing to sacrifice your preference in order to keep the team on target.
Be a team-player, prepare to deal with inevitable conflict, and never lose sight of the goal. Lead your team to success in the Endgame.