The 10 on the Team
Exploring team-ness, collaboration, and connectivity with experts around the world from dynamic and engaging fields
The 10 on the Team
The 10 on the Team: James Bell III, DSW
THE 10 ON THE TEAM
January 24, 2023
By Jody Thompson
If your research and interests include teaming in health equity, racial equity, public health and social work- and you like podcasts- it's likely you have come across the Equity Matters Podcast. James Bell III, DSW, is the producer and host of the Equity Matters Podcast. The podcast is a collection of voices amplified, sharing in the struggle for social justice and thriving for equity in all sectors.
James Bell III, DSW, has a background in policy and public health with focus areas including systemic issues of vulnerable individuals, a decade of experience creating and building partnerships and has spent the last five years focusing on translating research to practice in the field of public health and social justice. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Master of Social Work (MSW) from Michigan State University and earned his Doctor of Social Work (DSW) from the University of Southern California with a focus on the intersection of race, racism, and health.
What are 5 qualities of highly effective teams?
Five qualities that come to mind for an effective team are:
- Having a clear goal and plan
- Members communicate openly and often
- Members can fulfill their own task and help one another
- Members can see themselves in the success of their team
- Having strong and supportive leadership
Of those 5 qualities – is there 1 that is an absolute essential?
Absolutely essential would be having strong leadership. This means having someone who is trusted and respected. I’m more likely to follow someone who can keep me motivated and encouraged even when there are challenges.
What facilitates good team communication?
Good team communication is enabled by two-way feedback. Just as I want to learn and grow, I know my colleagues and superiors feel the same way. I want to be able to share my needs and issues before they grow into bigger problems.
What is kryptonite to a good team?
A lack of inclusion is the kryptonite to a good team. When people are only approached halfway through the project or when it is in crisis, there is a low level of ownership and can minimize enthusiasm.
What are ways in which teams can “grow”/develop their team-ness?
I believe in solid ground rules. In order to be effective, we must be explicit about the ways we will work together. I want to know we can be respectful of each other, we can honor time limits, and share our experiences in a safe space.
The Equity Matters Podcast confronts such key issues as Gender Equity in the NCAA, the institutional racism associated with standardized exams, and tenets of community organization (among numerous others), and each episode comes across as a conversation with the audience (i.e., not at them). What are strategies and techniques you utilize with your expert guests to deliver the collaborative conversation? How do you form that cohesiveness and connectivity that comes across in each episode?
All our episodes start with ideas that I may have or questions I’m curious about and I pose it to the guest beforehand. We spend some time negotiating on the right question or the burning question that needs to be answered. We also try to be mindful of industry-speak and break things down to a point where anyone can take away key aspects of the episode.
A theme that is evident throughout your work in the areas of social justice and addressing systemic inequities is the need for a "collective" approach, engaging leaders from key arenas to come together for real, systems-level and institutional change. From your perspective, what are some effective first steps towards engaging these stakeholders and bringing them to the table as agents of cultural change?
The first step is identifying a mutual goal or challenge. When I work across sectors, I want to talk about how what I’m seeing in public health may actually be the same thing you may see in transportation or in housing. It feels like okay if we have a shared problem, perhaps we could have a shared solution.
The Equity Matters Podcast, your equity-based training and workshop services, and Brothas in Social Work Collective, are all dynamic and engaging programs that have a number of moving parts, including resources, teammates, and audiences - what types of strategies do you use to effectively lead on all fronts?
Regular check-ins and communication. For the Brothas in Social Work Collective, we connect just about daily in some way. For the workshops and services, I like to talk to clients and spend as much time getting to know them and their challenges so I can add value. For Equity Matters, it’s all about discipline, I create a schedule and try me best to stick to it.
Speaking of moving parts...given all that you do, what are ways you engage in self-care and making time for yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally?
When I’m not taking on new work, I’m not seeking it out either. I plan breaks throughout the month where there is no work, no graphic design, or recording. I spend that time with family, in the kitchen making my favorite meals, or reading a good book.
Your home base is Michigan, (I’m from Ohio). Many readers, especially from the Midwest, are painfully aware of the decades long rivalry between universities in Ohio and Michigan. How would you approach bringing these two groups together once and for all?
Hmm... as Michigan State graduate, I would say let’s just gang up on Michigan fans, lol. Seriously, it goes back to what I mentioned previously – what are our mutual challenges and benefits. If we work together could it have greater results? So again, gang up on the Michigan fans:)