I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working on, and with, a lot of great teams in my career. Engineering teams, management teams, project teams, you name it. I’ve also been on some real doozies, where an extra incentive for accomplishing the mission at hand was just to be done with it! So, as I ponder my next business venture, and in particular, the first 30 days on that job, I’ve been thinking once again about what makes for a truly killer team; what really sets it apart from all the rest.

A useful analogy, I find, is the infamous “lifeboat exercise”, but done in reverse. Most management types have been through the lifeboat exercise at least once; this is where, when evaluating the performance or contributions of a large group of individuals or when preparing for some impending reduction in staff, you must determine who you would absolutely keep if you could only keep a certain number while all the others are cast adrift. Who gets put in the lifeboat? It’s a cruel sounding exercise, but it serves its purpose rather well.

So now, let’s flip that scenario on its ear. Rather than deciding who will “survive” whatever terrible fate awaits those not in the boat, we’re going to man this boat for a long and treacherous journey to a far off destination where fame and glory — or at least really important business achievements — await. There may be limited supplies, a sketchy map at best, and untold hazards that threaten to swamp and sink the enterprise. It will not be for the faint of heart!

A different dynamic has to be considered when you’ve manning the lifeboat in this case. That is, when you are commissioning a team to accomplish a difficult mission — or better yet, a number of such missions — it’s not just about who your best individual performers are. Yes, individual capabilities are absolutely part of the equation. But there are two other parts of equal importance, especially if you consider the goal to be completing many missions and not just one. Those parts are chemistry and longevity.

I know, I know, you’re already thinking “What does longevity have to do with a group of people completing one journey together?” The answer shouldn’t surprise you, but you’ll have to read my next post to find out. And here’s a hint: it’s less about why chemistry and longevity are so important than how you get or create them… and why it’s so hard.