It can happen once, you're lucky if it happens twice or at all. You join a team and everyone on the team...just jives. No one has an attitude or ego problem, each person seamlessly work with one another like a well-oiled machine. The atmosphere is jovial, work becomes more playful and feels less like work. There is a clear difference between a team that can work together and one that enjoys working together. That is team synchronicity.

I'm lucky to say I experienced this on my very first job starting out in 2012 as a Junior Designer at a startup agency called Aumcore. We were a rag-tag team of 5: 2 visual designs, 1 copywriter, 1 motion designer, and me who was already teetering the UX/UI designer role. We all trusted each other to never drop the ball, we communicated so well that everyone is always in the loop and hand-off is never a struggle, and we respected each other's skill set and competence. But like all good things, they inevitably end.

Most often times, I truly feel the cause is not the team itself, but outside forces. Forces that breaks the bond that's been holding this team together. That could be bad leadership, company culture outside of the team, or simply the work has become less interesting. What most leaders fail to realize is once you have a well functioning team, each person is contributing to this continuous flow of good energy. If any one member leaves the team, the synchronicity has been broken. If your mindset is people are replaceable and can switch in and out, then synchronicity will never develop.

Why should you strive for team synchronicity? Besides having a workforce that enjoys being at work, being around each other, and enjoys doing the work, a well functioning team is also just more productive. More so, I believe the quality will be far superior because everyone care about the work just as much as they care about each other. That is not to say leadership is not needed. Quite the opposite, good leadership is creating an atmosphere where your team can feel like they can get to know each other to realize how much they like each other.

As a designer, working in a team is one of the best thing about our industry. Sure, we have our introvert tendency, but I believe a good designer is someone who thrive on collaboration and exchanging ideas. Being in a good team is a designer's dream. When you've found your people, it's such a feel-good feeling. That feeling is the spark that can become team synchronicity if it is allowed to be developed.