Building a great team is a bit like playing with Legos.

Those brightly colored, interlocking, various-sized and shaped plastic pieces are great fun to play with no matter how old you are. Every time I see a whole pile of those little gems I still feel the childlike anticipatory joy and excitement of building something great. My mind runs wild with the possibilities.

We experience very similar feelings when we embark on the team-building process in the workplace.

Our creative juices start flowing and we can’t wait to begin putting the parts and pieces together, because we know the end result will be magnificent. The strengths and talents of individual team members may be wildly different but we can picture in our minds the great holistic team when everyone is placed together in just the right order, all pointing in the same direction.

First, a vision is cast of what could be. We get pretty excited thinking about the end result, delighting in our expected masterpiece.

Second, there is precise and meticulous selection, choosing which piece would be a great fit, complimenting a piece already in place.

Finally, when all the pieces are placed, we step back and marvel at how we have assembled the perfect team. Now, the harmonious, massive productivity begins. Hi-fives all around.

If only it were that simple.

Unfortunately often times in between the first and final steps, there are many trial-and-error attempts, served up with ample side items of frustration and anxiety.

We think the orange rectangle piece would fit nicely alongside the red square, only to realize it doesn’t fit quite as nicely as we’d hoped. Back to the drawing board.

We believe the blue, flat piece would be compatible next to the green piece. Ooops. Not so much. Maybe move it by the orange rectangle? Let’s try it and see what happens.

And we continue on and on. Sometimes we do indeed marvel at our masterpieces. But often times, we have to completely disassemble and start all over. Talk about deflating and demotivating. And revenue killing.

If you are in the process of team-building and would like some assistance in putting your Legos together, Insyte360 can help. We love the building process as well and can help identify which parts and pieces will fit together nicely, while others may cause strife and distraction while you are striving to hit your long term goals.