A couple of weeks ago, Trends/Tendances, a leading Belgian economical & financial magazine, asked my input for the section “good advice from top managers”. I am sure everyone gets a lot of suggestions, coaching and advice during one’s career. Me too. Upon the question many thoughts came to my mind but one advice that stood out for me is that “a good team always beats an individual”. In my opinion, the efficiency and effectiveness of the team are directly proportional to the team’s strength. Question of course is : what is a strong team ? I believe four elements are necessary. First of all, team members need to be complementary. There have to be differences in points of view, differences in competencies. Secondly, each team member should contribute and not simply free ride. Each team member has to take up one’s responsibility and perform accordingly. A third element of a strong team is the ability of team members to think beyond their activity domain. They should be able to think in terms of the common interest of the team. And finally, within a good team one can exchange ideas in an open and respectful atmosphere.

Take care,

Chris