Last week our leadership team hosted a breakfast meeting at one of our offices on the west side of the state. Prior to the meeting, I had a vision for what I wanted to serve to eat and drink, but I really had no idea how to bring that vision to life. I was short on time and knowledge of where to get what I wanted since I’m not familiar with the area yet.
Likely sensing I could use some help, one of my new team members asked what she could do to prep for the meeting. I was reluctant to accept her help at first because I didn’t want to burden her. I shared my ideas for food and drinks with her and she said “I know exactly where to get that. Let me run to that café now and place the order.” Thirty minutes later she returned and said that everything had been taken care of, and she’d pick it up it in the morning. I offered to get the coffee. The breakfast was exactly what I envisioned, and the meeting went great.
What’s even better is that I walked away thinking about what a great teammate she is. While she’s been in the industry for many years, we are new to being each other’s teammate, and it was really great of her to step up. She may have considered taking care of breakfast a small act, but it was a big help to me.
One of the core values at View Newspaper Group is teamwork. Leadership encourages each person to remember that they are a part of our larger team as a whole and in turn count on each other and help each other when needed. Communication is key to great teamwork so leadership offers many opportunities for everyone to connect — like last week’s breakfast meeting.
I couldn’t help but think of our emphasis on teamwork as I watched the Lions vs. Titans game later that week. It was a fun game to watch with many highlights, including Kalif Raymond’s 90-yard touchdown. While the touchdown run was more than impressive, what really caught my attention was the replay from overhead in which you could see teammate after teammate blocking Titans players one-by-one to clear the way for Raymond’s play. Following the game as Coach Campbell handed a game ball to Raymond, Raymond was quick to point out all the good work accomplished by this teammates that day on the field saying “that’s what good teams do …”
Whether on the field or in the office, great teams are made up of people with diverse skills who all look out for each other, stepping up to “block” for one another when needed.
A great team is vital to the growth of any brand; just look what great teamwork has done for the Lions this season.
Back in 2017 I shared info from a forbes.com article on the topic of teamwork, I’m sharing it again here as it continues to highlight a few key reasons why teamwork is important:
• Working on a team increases the bus factor for a project. I had never heard of this term until I read this article, but it makes total sense. From the piece “The bus factor of a project refers to the number of team members that can be hit by a bus (or get sick, leave the company, go on maternity leave, etc.) before a project comes to a complete halt.” Essentially a great team can cover for one another without missing a beat, ensuring projects hit deadlines no matter who is at the helm.
• Working on a team increases accountability. From the article “Peer pressure is a powerful force. Particularly if you’re working with people whom you respect and don’t want to let down.”
• Teamwork leads to learning. Working side-by-side with someone with a different skillset is a great way to learn that skillset, and gives team members a greater appreciation for what each person brings to the table.
The benefits to teamwork are endless with the best being that everyone has someone to celebrate with when the big wins come along, whether that big win is a perfectly prepared breakfast or a 52-14 victory over the Titans.
How do you facilitate teamwork at your organization? Email me at ecaswell@mihomepaper.com.

Emily Caswell is the Brand Manager for VIEW Group, the branding division of View Newspaper Group.