When we gather in the journalism lab, we want to create an inviting culture of growth.

Call it an open door mentality – the most successful room is often the one with an open door and an inviting atmosphere. Having a united team should not be exclusive if we want to build an inclusive and diverse culture.

As people join our team, we want them to feel capable and competent. Everything they need is already within them. It might take some training, but they need to know they are enough.

If you are a part of building a team, you should make the effort to invite people inside. Once inside, people are attracted to teams that have built a strong workplace culture. These cultures vary from team to team, but tend to have a consistent vision, level of respect and tendency toward resilience.

Clarity of vision is the first thing that brings people together. People gravitate toward others who know where they are going and can effectively share their ideas. When being driven by a common goal, the energy to reach that goal is always present. In short, every team needs to see things through the same lense.

The strongest teams focus on and respect the values of their teammates. Respecting others’ values builds trust in a work culture. Respecting others’ values regardless of your views takes maturity and a confidence in your own identity. This is what our staff strives for.

Once a team becomes confident, they also become resilient. Even the most cohesive teams encounter unexpected change and challenges. How a team handles and makes decisions during these times reveals their true strength.

Ideas will come across differently than intended. How you respect someone while working through a disagreement speaks of your true integrity. Differences in opinion should be shared respectfully. You need to take constructive criticism and learn from it — work with it.

When you create a habit of growth, you begin the process of bettering yourself and your surroundings. As you grow, it inspires growth in others.

When people leave this team to move on to the next thing, we hope to find them saying they have learned and grown so much. We want these experiences to be valuable over the course of a lifetime.

The project at hand is not the only thing we are working on. We are investing in lives. That is why we must keep these core ideas at the forefront.