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Every successful business person knows that great organizations start with great teams, but in order for a team to become great there must be a clearly defined set of decision-making protocols where team members understand what they are accountable for and then own the results.
The most important element of a great team is candor. In other words the team leaders must walk their own talk. They do this by listening to critiques of their own performance and acting on them, by not cutting off people who disagree with them, and by not puling rank when it's time to make a decision.
High performance leaders make sure that everyone on the team not only wants to contribute to the success of the organization but can contribute. Great team leaders have an action plan to close skill gaps through formal skill-development workshops; they are continuously searching for opportunities to apply the skills of each team member, and they offer individual coaching as needed.
One of the most important tasks of a team leader is to make sure that his or her team functions at a high level. It is up to him or her to see that the team always remains on track. "On track" means that everyone is clear about and committed to the business strategy and operational goals that flow from it; and that every team member understands his or her role and responsibilities; and most important the team leader must be able to make tough decisions.
Good team leaders are always asking important question, such as, "Are the members of my team playing for real, or are they just going through the motions?" "What's the best way for me to hold up a mirror to members of my team to accurately reflect their behavior?" "How do we change?"
One of the characteristic of all great business teams is that they continually raise the performance bar, but good team leaders know how to motivate by example rather than fear. They leverage power, not monopolize it to drive up their team's performance. To do this, team leaders put power and authority in the hands of the team to deliver maximum performance.
One of the hallmarks of great business teams is the willingness of team member to assume accountability for the success of their colleagues. This can take many forms, from tough questioning to providing resources to coaching.
While the team leader is ultimately responsible for making the call on the coachability of his or her players, every team member has an obligation to motivate him or herself by asking, "Am I up to the task of continually reinventing myself to meet ever-more demanding performance standards?'
Most people naturally resist change; therefore team members can be resistant for a number of reasons. Some will not see what's in for them; others will disagree on the need for change; still others will be distrustful and suspect a hidden agenda.
The challenge is to part the curtain to see what is behind the resistance to change. Intention is critical here. Is a team member's intention to change stronger than the lure of remaining comfortable with past ways of operating? If a team member is unwilling to change, there is often little that can be done, other than the parting of ways
When a team is clearly committed to a common direction, when it focuses on the vision of the organization, when it is clear about its roles and responsibilities, when the relationships between team members are open, then it is making the organization great.
Copyright©2008 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
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