Finding Strength in the Party: Building Better Teams
Even the strongest adventurer fails without a party. A tank needs a healer. A mage needs a rogue. No campaign is won alone.
It’s the same in careers. Building better teams takes allies: a party that balances strengths, covers weaknesses, and makes the grind sustainable. Individual effort matters, but the hardest quests are always cleared with allies.
When I think about my professional life, I see it the same way. Every team I’ve joined has felt like a party of archetypes, each person bringing strengths that cover another’s weaknesses. Every role, mentor, colleague, or peer becomes part of the party that helps me move forward. Each one brings something different to the table, and together they make the journey possible.
The Healers
In role-playing games, the healer keeps the party alive when the battle gets tough. They restore health, cure poison, and bring people back from the brink. In my career, the healers are mentors, friends, and trusted peers who restore perspective when challenges drain me. Their advice, encouragement, or even a quick check-in refills my stamina bar. When setbacks hit, they remind me that the campaign isn’t over. Their role is quiet but vital, and I wouldn’t have come this far without them.
The Tanks
Tanks are built for resilience. They step forward, take the hits, and shield the party from overwhelming force. In work, these are the leaders who absorb chaos, protect the team, and create the conditions for progress. I’ve been lucky to work with tanks who model steady leadership under pressure. They’re the ones who remind me that strength is not only about winning fights but also about creating space for others to do their best work.
The Rogues
Rogues see what others miss. They slip past obstacles, open locked doors, and bring unconventional tactics to the table. In my career, these are the peers who challenge assumptions, share fresh strategies, or connect me to opportunities I might have overlooked. They make sure the party never gets stuck in the same patterns. Every time I work with someone who sees the game differently, I pick up new tools and new ways to face the next encounter.
The Mages
Mages bring power and creativity, but their magic requires precision. In careers, mages are the visionaries. They’re the colleagues who innovate, experiment, and stretch what feels possible. They remind me that progress isn’t just about grinding harder. It’s also about discovering smarter ways to solve problems. The mages in my career inspire me to keep learning, to test new approaches, and to never stop leveling up.
The Synergy
What makes a party powerful isn’t just the roles but how they interact. A tank can protect the healer while the healer restores the mage. A rogue can open the door that unlocks the mage’s spell. Everyone gains XP from a victory, even if they contributed in different ways. In my career, I’ve seen the same synergy. When leadership shields the team, creativity thrives. When mentors restore confidence, peers are free to experiment. When one person levels up, the whole group benefits.
And just like in games, not every fight goes the way you plan. Sometimes the party wipes. Sometimes a project fails, or a strategy falls flat. But even in defeat, the XP is shared. Everyone walks away stronger, smarter, and more prepared for the next encounter. That’s the true value of a party: no one faces the loss alone, and everyone shares in the growth.
Guilds and Parties
When those roles combine across teams, the party grows into something bigger: a guild.
In games, guilds form when adventurers come together to share resources, strategies, and victories. In my career, my guilds are the teams I’ve joined, the communities I’m part of, and the networks I keep building. They provide guidance, camaraderie, and sometimes even the missing piece of gear I need to move forward.
The real magic is how these roles weave together. In the workplace, that looks like resilience during challenges, curiosity in problem-solving, and collaboration when the encounter is bigger than one person can handle. When the party is balanced and the guild aligned, the whole group levels up faster.
What This Means for Building Better Teams
Framing my career as a campaign makes collaboration feel essential, not optional. It reminds me that the toughest challenges aren’t boss fights to be faced alone but moments where the right party makes all the difference. It shifts my focus from trying to solo everything to making sure I’m building strong alliances and learning from the players around me.
Right now, I’m looking to join a new party that values resilience, curiosity, and collaboration. The next chapter isn’t just about the quests I take. It’s about the allies I travel with. A strong party transforms challenges into victories and setbacks into shared experience.
Every campaign has moments when you realize you can’t go further without the right party beside you. That’s where I am now. If you’re on your own journey, I would love to hear who’s in your party. Who do you rely on when the encounters get tough? And if you’re charting similar quests, maybe our paths should overlap. I’m always ready to meet fellow adventurers and see what battles we might win together.
This post first appeared on LinkedIn, where the campfire conversation continues. If you’d like to trade insights or stories from your own quest, join us there.