FLEETDRIVE exists but team success is due to the efforts of a group of people, especially with the guidance of a good leader.
It’ s true, leadership is important, but it is not the ultimate determining factor. Team chemistry, effective task delegation, team commitment, and overall alignment also come into play. The team’ s willingness to cooperate and collaborate with the leader is easily more of a determining factor as well.
Essentially, there are a lot of things that can go wrong and plenty of things that can go right. Neither of those will solely depend on the leader— if it did, then it should have been their task entirely. But this doesn’ t mean that the team leader will get away scot-free. Mutual trust and equal commitment to the goal from everybody is crucial.
Trust comes naturally.
Trust develops over time— that much is true— but it doesn’ t come naturally. Like any relationship, trust between team members is built.
While there is a default level of trust between members, this can be strengthened intentionally by being consistent. Consistency can manifest in different ways. First is through more tangible ways like; showing up to important events, delivering outputs on time, and maintaining quality on those outputs.
The second way is less tangible but contributes to creating a safe space for the team— showing vulnerability. Admitting that you’ ve made a mistake and asking for help may sound counterintuitive, but it is telling of a strong level of trust. Allowing your team members to help you is one of the biggest signs of trust. It shows them that you believe that they are reliable and capable of supporting you, and that you are also human. They know, in turn, that if they need help you are also someone they can rely on and they can be open with their vulnerabilities too.
Members must always sacrifice their needs for the good of the team.
Everyone wants to do their jobs well and that is a basic level of team commitment towards a goal. While commitment to a goal is necessary, overcommitment can be damaging.
Everybody has their own unique circumstances and sets of needs. Whether it’ s taking care of themselves or a family member, team members who put their needs first are not selfish, neither are they compromising the group in any way.
Whether a teammate knows it or not, overcommitment can result in more stress, higher tension, or even lower quality output. There are many reasons why a teammate maybe overcommitting. They could feel pressured to push themselves because of deadlines or responsibilities that require certain qualifications. These reasons, however, are no excuse to let team members push their personal needs aside.
As previously mentioned, a high level of trust is required for things to run smoothly. This is so that in case of any emergencies or challenges, the team can cooperate towards a solution. With the guidance of a leader and communication of the problem and solution to the rest of the team, goals can still be achieved.
ISSUE 56 DECEMBER 2025 / WWW. AFMA. ORG. AU 35