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High Performing Teams: The Foundation of Successful Organizations

Guest post by: David Liddell

Article Overview: Building, developing, and launching high performing teams does not happen automatically. It requires a well-defined plan and purpose, a structured approach, a clear understanding of desired results, and a way to measure success.

High Performing Teams: The Foundation of Successful Organizations

It is the beginning of a new business year. If you've been pragmatic, your strategic planning is done, goals are established, and you have prioritized a list of key initiatives ready for implementation. Can you do all this work yourself? Not a chance and you know it. You will need to rely on others and, more importantly, teams of people to successfully make it happen.

Teams come in various forms: departmental, ad-hoc, programmatic, and cross functional. They all share common requirements - the ability to organize, to self-manage, to be empowered to act with authority, and reach the intended team goals.

Building, developing, and launching high performing teams does not happen automatically. It requires a well-defined plan and purpose, a structured approach, a clear understanding of desired results, and a way to measure success. Teams require superior communication and trust between members, a focus on reaching consensus, and consistency in achieving results. Developing teams is a process that takes serious effort and discipline. It requires hard work, but for those willing to make the investment, it is extremely rewarding.­­­

Launching a Successful Team - Seven Important Steps

• 1. Appoint a team leader. The team leader acts as a team member but also sets the tone for coordination, collaboration, and accountability.
• 2. Ensure the team has sponsorship at a senior level. This is important for strategic alignment, team empowerment, and
  
  overcomingcompany red tape.
• 3. Based on the team's objectives, determine the skills needed to achieve success. This may be defined by a higher management level or
  
  generated by the team.
• 4. Invite people to be part of the team based on critical skills. Required skills may include interpersonal skills, team skills, and technical
  
  capabilities.
• 5. Use the initial team meeting to discuss the team's purpose, operating norms, strategy, and success measurements.
• 6. Clearly define team member roles, responsibilities, and expectations.
• 7. Operate with precision: team meetings, brainstorming, consensus building, planning, and measuring success.

The work of building high performance teams is a continuous endeavor and needs to be part of each company's strategic objectives. With a little time and effort, your organization can significantly improve the quality of your teams and foster a philosophy that will guarantee the effective execution of business plans and exceed expected results.

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Article Tags: a way to measure success, desired results, high performing teams, welldefined plan



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