BUILD TEAMS
WHY IT MATTERS
In today’s organizations success doesn’t come from having the best individual contributors, success comes from having the best and most unified teams. Leaders that form strong teams are able to unify and harness the abilities of their people and put them to work in a shared direction for a common goal. They bring great individual contributors together to form a diverse group of people who can accomplish more together than any one individual could have accomplished by themselves. Leaders that can’t form strong teams end up with people that resemble a rowboat that spins in circles, with each passenger rowing at different speeds, in different directions, with a different idea of where to go.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that excel at building teams assemble the right people together. They know that a team can only rise as high as the sum of its parts. They approach forming teams like assembling a jig-saw puzzle. They identify the needed mix of skills, expertise, experience, talents, personalities, perspectives, and capabilities the team needs to accomplish its goals, then select the people who can fill each purpose best.
Leaders that build strong teams charter the team before sending them off to work. They create a shared understanding of the behaviors that are acceptable to team performance and those that are not. They define how important decisions will be made, when they will be made, who will make them, and what to do when disagreements arise. They identify the scope and purpose of the work, including the goals to be met, the timelines to be followed, and the metrics to be used to measure success. They ensure everyone on the team knows their specific role and the interdependencies that exist between their role and that of their peers.
Leaders that build strong teams create an environment of collaboration, belonging, and togetherness. They help the team feel like a team. They ensure each team member feels valued. They establish a team identity. They guard and protect team chemistry. If needed, they are willing to give people corrective feedback or dismiss them from the team if they corrode team spirit, identity, or culture. They expect people to look like, feel like, act like, and behave like they are all in it together.
Leaders that build strong teams assist their teams through the natural process of team formation. They know that teams grow into themselves as they get to know each other, struggle together, fight together, lose together, and succeed together. They recognize the stages of team development and know how to coach the team through each stage both individually and collectively.
Leaders that build strong teams empower their teams with the trust necessary to do their work. They provide the team with the resources needed to achieve results. They let teams make their own decisions, and take needed action. They work side-by-side with the team instead of being domineering or overly directive. They know when to step out of the way and when to insert themselves. They remove barriers from the team’s path and do all they can to lift the team to success.
BELIEFS
SELF-REFLECTION
In today’s organizations success doesn’t come from having the best individual contributors, success comes from having the best and most unified teams. Leaders that form strong teams are able to unify and harness the abilities of their people and put them to work in a shared direction for a common goal. They bring great individual contributors together to form a diverse group of people who can accomplish more together than any one individual could have accomplished by themselves. Leaders that can’t form strong teams end up with people that resemble a rowboat that spins in circles, with each passenger rowing at different speeds, in different directions, with a different idea of where to go.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that excel at building teams assemble the right people together. They know that a team can only rise as high as the sum of its parts. They approach forming teams like assembling a jig-saw puzzle. They identify the needed mix of skills, expertise, experience, talents, personalities, perspectives, and capabilities the team needs to accomplish its goals, then select the people who can fill each purpose best.
Leaders that build strong teams charter the team before sending them off to work. They create a shared understanding of the behaviors that are acceptable to team performance and those that are not. They define how important decisions will be made, when they will be made, who will make them, and what to do when disagreements arise. They identify the scope and purpose of the work, including the goals to be met, the timelines to be followed, and the metrics to be used to measure success. They ensure everyone on the team knows their specific role and the interdependencies that exist between their role and that of their peers.
Leaders that build strong teams create an environment of collaboration, belonging, and togetherness. They help the team feel like a team. They ensure each team member feels valued. They establish a team identity. They guard and protect team chemistry. If needed, they are willing to give people corrective feedback or dismiss them from the team if they corrode team spirit, identity, or culture. They expect people to look like, feel like, act like, and behave like they are all in it together.
Leaders that build strong teams assist their teams through the natural process of team formation. They know that teams grow into themselves as they get to know each other, struggle together, fight together, lose together, and succeed together. They recognize the stages of team development and know how to coach the team through each stage both individually and collectively.
Leaders that build strong teams empower their teams with the trust necessary to do their work. They provide the team with the resources needed to achieve results. They let teams make their own decisions, and take needed action. They work side-by-side with the team instead of being domineering or overly directive. They know when to step out of the way and when to insert themselves. They remove barriers from the team’s path and do all they can to lift the team to success.
BELIEFS
- Great teams come from purposefully bringing together people with the right mix of personalities, skills, experiences, and abilities.
- People don’t feel part of a team just because they are on a team. A leader works to build a sense of real vision and identity.
- Don’t assume great performers will make a great team. It takes more than great individual contributors to form a great team.
- People need help to know how to work together. Leaders help teams establish standards for behavior, decision-making, etc.
- You may be the biggest bottleneck and roadblock to the success of a team. Trust your team, and get out of their way.
- If you don’t take action against those who are bringing the team down, all other team-building efforts in the world won’t matter.
- Any leader can do the work of ten other people. Great leaders get ten people to work together as one.
- Teams will always produce better ideas and results than any single person ever could.
- Encourage cooperation among team members.
- Help the team form a personal identity.
- Get people to give their best for each other.
- Build trust among team members.
- Resolve conflicts and problems quickly.
- Set standards for team behavior.
- Encourage information sharing.
- Create an environment that expects cooperation.
- Help everyone feel valued and accepted.
- Notice and respond to levels of team morale.
- Give people rewards for exemplary teamwork.
- Remove barriers to team success.
- Resolve internal conflicts among the team.
- Train people how to work in teams.
- Give teams the latitude they need to perform.
- Use metrics to measure team success.
- Build the morale of the team in tough times.
- Keep teams focused on what matters most.
- Staff teams with the right breadth of talent.
- Remove people that bring the team down.
- Provide teams with the resources they need.
- Create standards to guide a team’s work.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I form teams like I would an intricate puzzle, or do I just assign people to teams without clear cause?
- Do I create a culture that relies on teams to accomplish work, or do I emphasize the work of individuals?
- Do I ensure teams have a good mix of skills, experience, and personality, or do I not pay attention enough to know?
- Do I help teams create a charter before beginning their work, or do I send them off to work without a clear direction?
- Do I give teams a clear understanding of their work and how they will be measured, or do I have undefined expectations?
- Do I guard and protect team chemistry at all costs, or do I allow negativity to disrupt team unity?
- Do I foster an identity and culture within teams I manage, or do I allow other forces to determine how teams look and feel?
- Do I give teams the resources, latitude, and autonomy they need, or do I micromanage them to the point that I hold them back?
- Don’t assign work to a team that could be best accomplished by assigning it to an individual.
- Don’t put the same people on important teams over and over again to the point you fail to grow and develop others.
- Don’t be too visible to the team, or too hands-on, robbing them of the space they need to grow and mature naturally.
- I can communicate calmly, yet be direct, when the pressure is on.
- I look for opportunities to learn from my direct reports.
- I’m comfortable with someone addressing my weak spots.
- A powerful learning tool is to allow my employees to take risks.
- When an employee fails, I turn it into a teaching moment.
- I’m comfortable communicating to my team members where they need to go.