The ‘I’ in team

There has been a raft of news recently about teams failing to work together, some in a fairly spectacular fashion. While it plays out in both amusing and horrifying splendour on Twitter and in the tabloids, it’s a poignant reminder of the importance of looking after both teams and individuals in order to cultivate a successful working environment.

For example, the White House team seems yet again to be in disarray with new hires causing departures, followed by even newer hires causing the previous new hires to go.  Nearer home, our Cabinet seem to be taking advantage of the boss being away and are yet again bickering among themselves and showing somewhat less than collective responsibility.  

Even in France the honeymoon period for the new President appears to be coming to an end with some of his administration getting tired of his supposed showboating.  The big problem is that these administrations have important work to do – things that will affect all of us one way or another. Conversely, experience shows that teams that work together work effectively. In history some small groups have accomplished extraordinarily large feats. It’s a bit like Archimedes and his lever – use a small thing wisely and make a big impact. 

The tricky thing is that for a team to work effectively together, the individuals need to be looked after in their own goals, aspirations and professional growth as well. At Rivers we are a small team, but we work together to produce results which are bigger than the constituent parts, and we enjoy doing so.  Within that, members of the team joined us early on in their careers and have found the support to grow into meaningful professional roles.

Assistant Accountant,Deanna Gow, who joined the team early in her career, says “At Rivers I never feel limited in my role.  I am constantly learning and progressing thanks to a supportive team and senior management.”  Meanwhile, Broker Manager Tim Shand, who joined in 2016 says: “It’s great to come into a business where you instantly feel part of the team and can get straight down to productive work.”