A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skills of the others.

-Norman G. Shidle

It's easy to find information on how to build a team, but how do you know once you've got one?

This is where Norman Shidle's simple idea comes in - all the technicalities about efficiency and synergy and so on aside, one clear sign that you have a collection of people who are actually thinking (not just working) as a team is that each person is confident enough to boost those around them without expecting something in exchange.  

So does this mean that the best teams are made up of people who are completely self-less to begin with or who have checked their ego at the office door?  No.  Contrary to the "no I in team" idea, perhaps the best teams are actually collections of people who still have their egos - after all, our egos are a lot of what make us want to do our best and try our hardest.  But they have to be healthy egos, ones that are nourished by being the right peg in the right hole, where you feel that your particular talents can be put to the best use so that you naturally gain personal recognition.  That's what makes someone "sure enough of himself and his contribution," as Norman Shidle suggests, because his own ego doesn't come at the expense of those around him.  Instead, everyone can build up their healthy egos together, strengthening the team as a whole.