From 0 to 100: how dream teams step on the gas

For idealistic, proactive pioneers seeking to turn their innovative ideas into practice, the perfect team is more than a nice-to-have. It is indispensable. «The team is more important than the idea itself», Stefan Schöbi, Director of the Migros Pioneer Fund, explains. Without a functioning team, nothing works out. That is why the Pioneer Fund has dedicated a whole chapter of its new handbook, «From 0 to 100», to the meaning of team play.

Rea Eggli, a pioneer at #letsmuseeum, has overseen many projects and knows well that getting the team composition right is a major challenge for start-ups: «You need team members who, rather than just doing a job, fully identify with the project and give it their all, despite modest wages and an uncertain future.»

Ondine Riesen of the Ting project has no doubt: «Skills can be learned. Passion for a cause, empathy, appreciation and mutual respect, on the other hand, are factors that do not develop quite as well if they aren’t there to begin with.»

How, then, do you find the right people who can and will change the world with you? Our guidebook says: «You need partners who complement you at a professional and human level. Don’t look for someone just like you. Look for people whose skills can add to yours.» The pioneers themselves have also contributed their own tips and tricks to help others find their perfect team. Philipp Glauser of the Thingsy project, for example, recommends the book «Cofounding The Right Way» by Jana Nevrlka to everyone struggling to pick the right project partners.

And how can such advice be put into practice? Silvan Groher of the Ting team has told us that he found his own project partner, Ondine Riesen, thanks to a recommendation from his wife: «I was looking for someone who can relate to others and put themselves in their shoes, someone who can convey experiences in the form of stories. My wife immediately said: you’ll have to get in touch with Ondine.»

When Marius Portmann started SimpleTrain, he had a clear vision but little in the way of concepts. In need of a team, he brought his former schoolmates, Austin Widmer and Linus Egli on board. He believed that the time they shared at high school and the behaviour he had observed at school was a sufficient basis for a successful partnership. Their huge success shows that he was right: the team has grown from three to seven members since. And they did not sacrifice their pioneering spirit nor their humour. «We’re like the bobsleigh team from Cool Runnings – a bit haphazard but pretty fast», Linus Egli comments with a laugh.

Comparisons with sports teams abound in the world of business. Mike Zani, the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller «The Science of Dream Teams», explains this in historical terms: During industrialisation, humans were a replaceable resource in the work process, but today’s businesses are built on individual talents and expertise. People are given the exact roles that allow them to make the most of their unique skills. («If the model for the industrial age was a hyper-efficient Toyota plant, the template for the Information Age might be a professional sports franchise.»)

In the beginning, the SimpleTrain team adhered to traditional structures. Linus Egli recalls: «At the start, we were a CEO and CTO and so on. But we soon realised that these roles do not work for a small, dynamic business like ours.»

Rea and Caroline of #letsmuseeum each have clear roles that are based on their specific talents: Rea makes plans, comes up with new formats and develops the business, while Caroline is the operative manager in charge of communications, customer support and the external team. Rea adds: «With a little team like ours, where everyone works part time, and a growing business that needs to stay agile, it is crucial that everyone contributes their ideas and efforts. We have a transparent, participatory work culture involving close exchange and mutual support in our daily work.» New circumstances, such as the coronavirus pandemic, also require new organisational structures. Caroline says: «Before the pandemic, we were a team of up to six people. When Covid-19 hit, we were down to the two of us – Rea and I – plus an existing, well-trained network which we involved as and when necessary.»

The Ting team are not afraid to address problems. Ondine comments with disarming honesty: «It’s not a bad thing to be caught with our trousers down. In fact, it’s incredibly relaxing. Once someone’s weaknesses are all out in the open, the others can help them out. And we don’t waste energy pretending that we can do something that we actually struggle with.»

To Caroline of #letsmuseeum, communication is key: «First of all, you need an honest conversation about it. This sounds simple, but it isn’t always. But talking about it to work out exactly what is the problem and why, that is essential.»

Let’s get back to sports: Footballers crying in each other’s arms and curlers celebrating together are an integral part of it all. After all, there is more to the team spirit than hard work. There is shared joy and sadness, and that also goes for dream teams. «Marius makes sure that we occasionally get together for a beer after work», his colleague Linus explains. «I need everyone to know that this is about more than just work. We want to have fun, too», Marius responds with a smile.

The three duos we have interviewed in our videos gave us no doubt: not only do they work hard and passionately on their pioneering projects, they also appreciate each other at a personal level and have become friends – if they weren’t already friends to begin with. Ondine: «I like to compare us to the Ninja Turtles. They all have their superpowers, they have exciting adventures together and somehow make their plans work.»

Photo/stage: Pascal Swier/unsplash