There was a big ending to the premiership at the weekend and for those of you that watched it, it could quite easily have gone either way.  The teams and managers fighting it out are arguable, true greats of the sport.  However, the same characteristics and winning mentality can be applied to any team.  I went out for a lovely meal to celebrate my daughter's 10th birthday last night and the food was great but it was trumped by a superb team from the front of house through to the chefs and table staff. They all made my daughter feel special and were brilliantly in tune with each other.  Before you say anything,  it was a country pub and not a Michelin starred restaurant.

So what makes for a great team and how does teamwork come into it because it can evidently be applied in the work, elite sports and in fact any, team environment.  Here are seven characteristics of a great team:

1/ Goals- not the football type!  It is important that everyone on the team knows that they are dependent on each other.  Team goals and individual goals are important and often go hand in hand.

2/ Trust- It is so important that team members can express themselves and work in an environment where they are comfortable.  This will breed creativity and encourage problem-solving.

3/ Accountability- Team members often feel a certain ownership of their team because they have made a personal investment.

4/ Communication- Open communication must be encouraged and it builds into point two in terms of trust.

5/ Evolution- Great teams always evolve.  This is down to individual members wanting to improve and learn new skills.  If this can be harnessed, it leads to greater overall team gains.

6/ Defined decision making- In successful teams, everyone has a say.  However, it is also understood that there is one single leader that can make the decision if an agreement isn't reached.

7/ Conflict resolution- Inevitably problems and disagreements can arise in all teams.  Successful teams going back to point four are always communicating and can resolve issues constructive and swiftly.

Whilst writing this, I am trying to reflect on whether I have been part of a great team....Oh yeah that's an easy one- Passle!