I love watching Canada geese flying in formation. Many years ago when I was in an awesome team, we had a poster in our meeting room with this inspirational story. This story is how I feel about teamwork.

Lessons from the Geese (by Dr Robert McNeish of Baltimore, 1972)

When you see geese flying along in “V” formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for the bird that follows. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front of it. If we have as much sense as a goose, we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position. It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.

The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement is the quality of honking we seek.

When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two other geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock. If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

I like the suggestions you mention above:
1) find a shared identity;
2) define goals;
3) live your “ideal” reality.

I would like to add that when forming a team:
4) bring together a group of diverse people with different/complementary skills, different personalities, different preferences and different ways of perceiving and processing information;
5) through a facilitated team-building exercise, explore how the people within the group are different but have a lot to offer;
6) make sure that you have at least one person in the team who is a good facilitator and can see the different points of view of the team members and create cohesion within the team;
7) make sure roles and accountabilities of team members are clearly defined;
develop team guidelines which build respect and enhance communications and creativity within the group.

I have seen amazing results when a diverse group of people are brought together in a team and discover how to understand different behaviours and communication styles based on personality types such as Myers-Briggs or True Colours.

For example:
* the thinkers versus the doers;
* those who focus on what needs to be done (goal oriented);
* those who focus on why it needs to be done (relationship building);
* those who focus on how it gets done (process oriented);
* those who want to have fun doing it (ice breakers, get the ball rolling, celebrate milestones).

When you have a good balance of these types of people plus the specialized skills they bring to a team and the respect they have for each other, creativity expands and the team achieves more than the sum of its members.

It is within this type of team that people can accomplish amazing things and have fun doing it, whether at work, on a sports team, while volunteering, within a community or amongst friends and family.

I am fortunate to have been and still am in such teams.