HOW TO BUILD EXCELLENT TEAMS

ONE TEAM, ONE TASK | DNA OF GREAT TEAMS

Everyone agrees that “teamwork” is essential to business success. However, few people are aware of what “teamwork” really is. Several principles enable team to overcome even the most complex business challenges.

1. Successful teams have a recognized leader.

A designated and recognized team leader is indispensable whether team members work for the same organization or come from multiple organizations. Although the team leader needs the team to deliver results, the team leader – not the team – is responsible for that result.

2. Successful teams have quantifiable goals.

Teamwork requires every team member to understand exactly what goals the team is expected to achieve. That sense of exactness is only possible when the team has a plan that can be objectively measured – meaning the goals should be quantifiable rather than vague.

The vague goal of “building a better customer relationship” should therefore be replaced by a more specific purpose. An objective like “increasing order requests by 50%” is more accurate and understandable.

3. Successful teams have well-defined roles.

These interactive roles of the team members will need to be well thought out before the work starts and can then be refined as the team takes the next steps. Each team member must know exactly their daily tasks so that the team can optimally achieve its objectives. Without that clarity, team members will work past each other, and effectiveness will be lost.

4. Successful teams share resources.

To be successful, it is essential for a team that the members are willing to share the resources they master to achieve the team’s goal. These include physical resources (money, equipment, office space, computers, etc.) and mental or emotional resources (such as ideas, suggestions, encouragement, or enthusiasm). When team members keep their own supplies, teams are weakened, leading to failure.

5. Successful teams communicate effectively.

Depending on the objectives and timetable, teams should meet at least once a week and more often if necessary. More importantly, editing (or reshaping if necessary) the team’s communication so that each team member understands what is going on – and, perhaps more importantly, what is expected of them before the next meeting.

6. Successful teams are 100% involved.

Involvement is expressed through consistency, especially in the behavior of the team members. They are willing and able to take the appropriate measures to achieve the team’s goal.

Although successful teams are committed, they are not obsessive: participation in a group should not be at the expense of private life. In fact, team members cannot perform optimally when their lives are out of balance.

7. Successful teams discourage big egos.

A strong ego works to your advantage in many business situations, but not within teams. To function effectively in a group, the team members must control their own egos where the group and the team’s goals are more important than the individual members – or their contributions. Theatrical display or prima donna behavior can cause a short circuit within the group.

It goes without saying that the above “habits” do not arise automatically. You must ensure that you promote the nature of the culture that helps develop these teams. Ultimately, groups that are aware of these habits will be much more likely to succeed than teams that meet sporadically and operate hopefully.