Teamwork In Mission Impossible

After watching the first season of Mission Impossible, from 1966-67, I was impressed by the format and solid stories. It dealt with fears and dangers of the time: Biological/nuclear warfare, dictators, Nazi resurgence, cold war, organised crime...etc. They did reuse sets from film and television and sometimes redressed the same sets for several episodes, with different set dressing. Each episode has at least two things that do not go according to plan. Overall it was great fun with some standout episodes.

The thing I liked a lot about the series was the teamwork between the characters and this is the focus of this post. So here are things I've learned (or already know but was reinforced) about teamwork from Mission Impossible:

1. Everyone has their part to play that contributes. No matter the seemingly insignificant act of what some of the characters do, it adds to the team's success. It could be turning on a recording, driving a car, impersonating someone on the other end of a phone, swapping an object for another one...it all contributes.
2. Nothing is impossible with the right people, but you have to know your people. The main leader of the group has a portfolio of agents that he can call upon. His main crew are his standbys, the ones who have their specialities but also are quick studies. He also has others for their particular talents or skills. The reason he can come up with a plan is that he knows what everyone can do and not do. Knowing your team means knowing your capabilities and making the seemingly impossible, possible.
3. Plans are useless but planning is indispensable: This quote by General Eisenhower during WW2 was to illustrate how plans never survive first contact with the real world. Planning, however, means you have backups in case the original plan goes awry. The team in mission impossible stack the deck on their side by orchestrating situations and circumstances based on what they know of their target and people in general. With these setups they can accuratly predict the outcome. They use many of the confidence tricks that scammers and scheisters have used for millenia. Things do go sideways in the show but each character has a backup story or action that gets them out of trouble and still contributes to team success. This comes from going over a plan and thinking of all the ways it could go wrong, something they hint at in the show. Going over plans also builds teamwork and reinforces team goals.
4. You are never alone in a team: Often members of a team are operating independently from one another but each of them know their other teammates have got their back. There is never any doubt or hesitancy. That comes from having confidence in each others abilities and the plan. It comes from everyone knowing the plan.

So there are a few things I've learned or was reinforced, from watching classic Mission Impossible season one.