September 08, 2025
Your team isnโt just a collection of skills. Theyโre people with goals, ambitions, and things that get them excited about Monday mornings.
The best technical leaders figure out what each team member wants from the projectโthen find ways to deliver it. ๐ฏ
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐
Remember stakeholder management? Team building follows the same principle: everyone wants something out of the project.
The difference is that with your team, you have more flexibility to actually deliver what motivates them.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ
Instead of assuming what drives your team members, ask:
๐ฏ The Skill Builder: โI want to learn Python/machine learning/cloud architectureโ
โ Can you carve out a project component that lets them practice?
๐ The Expert: โIโm really good at data visualization and enjoy itโ
โ Let them own that domain (but check if they want to try something new too)
๐ The Impact Seeker: โI want to see my work make a real differenceโ
โ Connect their contributions to user outcomes and company goals
๐งฉ The Problem Solver: โI love tackling complex technical challengesโ
โ Give them the gnarliest problems and the autonomy to solve them
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Just because someone is good at something doesnโt mean they want to keep doing it.
Your best data engineer might be craving a chance to work on front-end development. Your visualization expert might want to try their hand at backend systems.
Always ask: โYouโre great at X. Do you want to keep working on X, or try something different this time?โ
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ณ๐ ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ
Team building is where your listening and empathy skills become superpowers:
Listen for energy: What makes their voice change when they talk about work?
Watch for engagement: What tasks do they dive into vs. drag their feet on?
Ask about growth: Where do they want to be in six months?
Create opportunities: Can you adjust project scope to include their interests?
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐
When team members get what they want from the project:
โ Theyโre more engaged and productive
โ They develop new skills that benefit future projects
โ They feel valued and stay longer
โ They become advocates for your leadership style
Youโre not just building a projectโyouโre building careers and loyalty.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต
Great team building is about connecting individual aspirations to project success. Youโre finding the intersection of โwhat needs to get doneโ and โwhat people want to learn/do.โ
When those align, work doesnโt feel like work.
Whatโs your experience with team motivation? How do you discover what really drives your team members?
