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Essential Keys to Team Success

Written by: Dave Allan

Article Overview: There are four essentials that govern a team's success - leadership - Goals - Norms - Roles.

Essential Keys to Team Success

Essential Keys to a Team's Success

Building Leaders, Teams and their Organizations to Phenomenal Success!
Essentials
:There can be no doubt that if a team is to consistently achieve in getting results, then there are a few key ingredients that are a must. The first key ingredient is to have a Leader/Manager who can assess their team's competencies and empower each member by matching talent to task. Next, every team member must consistently set clear measurable goals that line up with the overall vision of the organization they are working with. Next, there must be a clear understanding in the team of what the organization's "Norms" are: "What are the accepted behaviours?" Finally, There must be clear Roles defined and worked out, so that each individual is able to work at maximum efficiency.

A Leader who attends to the Team's needs:
Ultimately, when a team fails it reflects back on the leader. Often the problem can be that the leader chose the wrong team member in the first place (of course, many don't get the luxury to choose). A team leader once having chosen competent members has the responsibility of understanding the team's needs. It is the responsibility of the leader to know the strengths and weaknesses of each member and to work according to their strengths. The only way to do this well is to interview each member and help them come to a deeper understanding of themselves. The interview is also an opportunity for the leader to keep the information on file and stored in their head for future reference. There are some great assessment tools available today for team leaders to use in order to assess and improve their team's productivity. If you would like further information on this, email me at david@aldcoaching.com

Clear Measurable Goals:
It might seem obvious, but how many teams and team members do not take the time to sit down and write out their goals? And how many do not know how to, nor have ever been trained in how to develop their goals? Written goals help maintain a certain amount of accountability to team outcomes by each member of the team. Written goals stamp out the human capacity to rationalize mediocre efforts into successes. A written goal cannot be argued with when a review process is undertaken. Written goals formed within the larger purpose, aid Leaders in the celebration of milestones, engendering an atmosphere of success. Just remember that a goal is a picture of the final result. One of the most helpful acronyms for me is S-M-A-R-T-E-R Goals. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Related to the Vision, Timed, Enhances performance, and Review. A major responsibility of Leaders is to keep team members reminded of the Higher Purpose in each goal. A dynamic team cannot exist unless there is a common task.

Understand the Organizational "Norms":
Norms exist in an organization whether we know them or not. They are the spoken and unspoken practices that occur, which are widely accepted within an organisation. Good Norms enable a team to work in a supportive environment which brings about a greater productivity. A diligent leader takes time to reach consensus on a set of norms and displays them clearly where they can be viewed by everyone. When Norms are not known clearly by all, conflict can occur much more readily. Effective teams are clear on their Norms so that behaviour supports each individual and achieves its prime objectives. Good Norms will strengthen open communication, conflict resolution, empowerment, creativity and many other healthy productive practices. Norms are what reflects the culture of an organisation, and it is that culture that customers see.

Roles worked out and defined Clearly:
If there is one thing that can cause a team to come unstuck very quickly, it is when everybody doesn't fully comprehend their role and the roles of everybody else in the team. When each individual knows their place and the place of all the others, it easier for leadership to show that all are needed for the task and that each has an important task to contribute to the team. Respect is heightened and boundary conflicts are reduced. When each team member has a sense that they have something important to bring to the team then morale is heightened and productivity is increased.

Conclusion:
Just remember, that team-building is never static. It is always something that the leader must be attending to. When it is attended to correctly it can bring about a powerful synergy where the team outcomes are greater than the sum total of the parts.

Executive Coach: Dave Allan

Email: david@aldcoaching.com

www.executivesuccesscoaching.com

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Article Tags: communication, conflict resolution, culture, norms, written goals



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