Key Characteristics For Building Your Dream Team

What talents, personalities, and skills make up the ideal “dream team”?

Is it cohesion? Communication? A certain personality type? All of the above?

We would say yes, but first and foremost, it’s important to get clear on what exactly you’re hiring for. Not just the position you’re looking to fill, but what kind of mission you want your team to carry.

Once you’ve narrowed down what you want your brand to represent, it’s much easier to look for people who hold the same vision.

If your idea sparks innovation and future-forward thinking, you’ll look to hire like-minded individuals.

If your brand is creative, altruistic, and figure-it-out-as-we-go, you’ll seek out your right-brained tribe.

If you’re a visionary and looking for big-thinking counterparts, you’ll hire accordingly.

Focus on your mission first, and your team will come to you.

That being said, let’s dive into what makes a team run like a well-oiled machine.

What drives them?

A great question to ask a potential employee is what drives their purpose. What gets them excited to wake up in the morning? What fuels their inspiration? What does their free time consist of?

Asking this question clues you in on what kind of person they are and also tells you about their level of self-sufficiency. If they’re the kind of person who gets after their own goals, it tells you a lot about their dedication and drive.

A team built of individuals with unique gifts, goals, and interests creates a camaraderie of shared passion and tenacity. Find people who are excited about what they pursue in their own daily lives, and they’ll likely bring the same enthusiasm to your mission.

Create an atmosphere of overcommunication

Nothing kills team welfare like the fear of asking questions.

When questions are met with an eye roll or a sigh that communicates, “Really? I already explained this to you…” expect that your team won’t flourish.

Instead, greet questions with welcome, and create an atmosphere that anticipates questions and overcommunication.

Create a habit of reiterating your understanding, and follow up to a response with, “Just so I understand you correctly…”

When your team members are comfortable with asking questions, not only does it build confidence and trust, but it establishes transparency in getting things done right the first time. When questions are encouraged, and clarifications are an expectation, no one gets left in the dark.

Overcommunication isn’t wasted time. What does waste time is a lack of understanding that leads to a task carried out incorrectly. Let questions abound and your team will thrive.

Encourage humanity

No matter how skilled, educated, and reliable a person may be—they are not a machine. They are still human, with their own set of limitations.

This isn’t a setback; rather, it is an opportunity for creativity.

When we prioritize human ingenuity over machines, we leverage the ability to foster community that enhances the quality of life for everyone.

Build a community that encourages humanity. Create a space in which your team members know they can be upfront about their needs and wants (and questions!).

Cultivating a community of openness and transparency—in which failure is an opportunity for learning and limitations lead to growth—produces radical creativity in a team, because these “human limitations” are not only expected, but encouraged.

Fostering an environment in which your team can be fully human creates a noticeable authenticity in your brand, too. Freedom is contagious. When your team has the freedom to bring their individuality, it shows in every other aspect of your brand as well.

Promote work-life balance; be enthusiastic about the things that make your team members spark; encourage them to keep doing what drives them and make them excited to live each day intentionally.

When you’re the biggest supporter of what makes your team members their unique selves, they’re much more likely to bring their best selves to your mission.

What are you bringing to the table?

Last but not least: what is it you’re offering that makes incredible, talented people want to be on your team?

What are you bringing to the table that draws people to your mission?

And are your promises sustainable?

Bringing together a team of great people means creating an atmosphere that continuously cultivates a space where they can thrive.

This goes beyond offering good pay, benefits, and vacation time (all very important parts of creating a great company, to be clear). It means that your offers are sustainable. Not only are you offering people employment, but you’re giving them a place where they feel fulfilled and purpose-driven.

A place that they want to be a part of.

Is your mission sustainable?

Make that your goal, and the rest will follow.

And if you need an example of a dream team, we’re here to share our methods.