---
title: New Team...
description: In our series centered around teams, we’ve characterized the various roles we may encounter within them, whether that’s during a crisis or in the day-to-
image: https://blog.yourclearnextstep.com/hubfs/new%20team...%20dream%20team%20-%20Blog%20Featured%20Image.jpg
---
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# New Team...
## Dream Team?
In our series centered around teams, we’ve characterized the various roles we may encounter within them, whether that’s during a crisis or in the day-to-day. And yet there are more ways to view these roles and team dynamics.
If you've read the past team blogs, ([Characters in a Crisis](https://blog.yourclearnextstep.com/characters-in-a-crisis) and [What's a Team, in General?](https://blog.yourclearnextstep.com/whats-a-team-in-general)) you’ll recognize these roles, but we’re going to look at them with a different lens. Rather than viewing them as individual roles with their independent behavior and characteristics, we’ll take a look at how they communicate and collaborate - and the challenges that brings - within their team as a whole. The reality is, working with others isn't easy to begin with, let alone a brand new team. We all have to take time figuring out how to [work together](https://blog.yourclearnextstep.com/6-easy-tips-for-co-creating-great-workdays). So, let’s meet our characters!
Polly, Jesse, and Bianca have just been hired into their new positions at the same company. They will be working closely to develop a new marketing plan to revamp sales of a product. Polly has been in the marketing industry for 35 years, and this new company is the third in her career. Jesse has worked for a wide variety of companies over his 20 years of experience. Bianca has just begun her career in this industry and is fresh out of an internship with a rival company.
Each of our characters have their unique perspective, ideas, and experience to make them successful in this new project. But how well can they come together as a team?
### Jesse the Jokester
Jesse has come into the project wanting to use his knowledge of the various companies he’s worked for. He thinks that what he learned from his time spent there can be useful for this current project. Jesse feels pretty confident in his knowledge surrounding a particular tool and believes it can help. So, during the team’s first strategy session he talks excitedly about what the tool is and how it’s been used in the past.
However, Polly doesn’t have as much experience working with the tool Jesse is talking about, and Bianca has only heard about it - she’s never actually put it to use. As Jesse talks, he watches Polly and Bianca’s faces get more and more scrunched in confusion. “Well geez, ladies, I can see the wrinkles forming from here!” He says and laughs.
But Polly and Bianca are not amused, a bit offended in fact. Jesse had meant his words as a lighthearted joke, a way to relieve some tension, but he didn’t know his audience very well. He quickly apologizes and offers to pause for questions and suggestions.
- #### Points of caution
Well, Jesse had trouble making a great first impression - how does Polly do?
### Perceptive Polly
Although Polly didn’t appreciate Jesse's attempt at a joke, she can see he’s just excited about the project and didn’t mean any harm. It may be a new dynamic for Jesse - working with women - and he might need time to adjust. Polly likes that he’s enthusiastic, as she’s ready to begin working on the project too.
She notices that Bianca quickly moves on from the comment as well, and instead begins asking Jesse questions related to the tool he was talking about. Polly can see Bianca’s eagerness to learn and grow in her own skills. She resolves to be a good mentor for Bianca, and encourages her questions. She also likes to see that Jesse is very receptive to these questions, and carefully articulates his responses. After this first meeting, she makes a point of letting Jesse know this, and that she’s excited to be working on this project too.
- #### Points of caution
Let’s see how Bianca handles this.
### Bridge-Building Bianca
Bianca is confident in her abilities, and she’s not going to let Jesse’s comment slow her down. She understands that she has a lot of growth potential and can learn from the two she’s been placed on a team with. She tries to focus on asking Jesse questions about this tool. But, Bianca knows that Polly has a lot of experience of her own to utilize also.
While Bianca plans on getting advice and tips from Polly herself, she suggests the team lets Polly share what she knows best. Bianca explains that they all have something to give to the team effort, and they could take turns sharing key knowledge. She tells Jesse and Polly that the best way for them to succeed as a team is if they all understand and respect each other as equals.
- #### Points of caution
Bianca, Polly, and Jesse used their roles to grow as a team, and successfully complete their project. It only took a little bit of communication and collaboration. So, how can you use these roles to develop communication and collaboration within *your* team?
- [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)
Topics: [Sinikka Waugh](https://blog.yourclearnextstep.com/tag/sinikka-waugh), [Communication & Collaboration](https://blog.yourclearnextstep.com/tag/communication-collaboration)
### About the Author
#### Sinikka Waugh
Sinikka Waugh is a recognized leader in understanding people and in adapting tools, techniques, and processes to meet the demands of the situation at hand. Since 2006, Sinikka has provided compassionate leadership in transformation initiatives. When she isn’t in front of a class, she enjoys putting her background in English and French Literature to work, by writing blogs about the subjects she teaches every day. Are you ready? If you are, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! contactus@yourclearnextstep.com
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