Four Little Things That Build Successful and Productive Teams
What makes one building stronger, more appealing, or higher in value than the one standing next to it? The raw materials of the project are, for the most part, the same. Each builder felt he had contracted with the best people for the job. There was a plan of action in place. So, then, where is the value difference? As is so often the case, it’s the little things that, when added together, equal increased value.
The same questions could easily be asked about business teams. What makes one team more productive or successful than another? The answer is eerily similar. It’s the little things that add up to big success! This article introduces four little behaviors that successful team leaders need to adopt to transform their team projects from a proverbial pile of bricks into a beautiful and functional structure.
Action #1: Get Your Blueprints
Just like a construction supervisor needs a detailed blueprint to erect a building, a team can’t function without a specific goal and a detailed plan of action. Therefore the first thing you need to do when teams are forming is to determine the scope of the project, define expected outcomes, and establish a clear and concrete plan to achieve goals and objectives.
Action #2: Organize Your Raw Materials
Next, you need to examine and organize your raw materials: the personnel on your team. Effective teams are able to match worker styles and temperaments to the required skills. Blue, Gold, Green, and Orange workers each bring to the work site certain strengths and preferences that, when accommodated as much as possible, allow them to excel and maximize their contributions.
Taking the time to develop the plan and recruit the best people for that plan gives the team the appropriate tools for the task.
Action #3: Establish a Solid Foundation
Team members, no matter how carefully chosen, bring with them a wealth of preferences, work styles, learning styles, and localities. They may come to the table with preconceived notions about other team members, the project at hand, and the need to work in teams. With this amount of “baggage,” it may seem as if there is an enormous uphill battle to be fought.
The key to getting past the obstacles lies in one word: trust. Team leaders must work consciously and consistently to build an atmosphere of trust and respect within the team. Team members need reinforcement for cooperative working behaviors. It does not benefit the team if only one member does the work. Team members need to know that they can count on each other to complete individual tasks.
Donald J. Bodwell, of PT Consulting Partners, puts it this way:
Team members need to be coached to learn that it is important to trust one another. It is not possible, or desirable, for one team member to do all the work for the team.
Although, someone will almost always try. New members need to learn that to get the job done they have to rely on others to do their part. The analog to this principle is that each team member needs to be trustworthy. Team members need to learn that others are counting on them to do what they said they would do. But personal or business problems outside the team come up that affect individual team members’ ability to accomplish their agreed tasks. As soon as it becomes clear to a team member that his or her task cannot be completed in time, the team member needs to let the other team members know about the cause of the problem and ask for help. This practice goes a long way to convincing fellow team members that one is trustworthy.
This tone and expectation must start before the first team meeting. Leaders must be upfront about the task at hand and they must listen to and respect the opinions of all team members. When dissension occurs, they must move the focus swiftly from the person to the issue.
Action #4: Keep Your Tools Sharp
The goal is defined, the team has been chosen, and trust has been established. It should be smooth sailing from here, right? Not necessarily. The team building practices that are the focus of the first several meetings or weeks of a project need to remain steady throughout the life of the team.
In other words, the tools you use to accomplish your goal (your team) need to be carefully monitored to make sure they don’t wear out, become dull, or are used improperly. If they are, then you need to step in and hone, refine, and sharpen the tools so they function at their optimum efficiency.
As with any relationship, team trust and cooperation will deteriorate if not continually cultivated. This work may be carried on automatically by team members or may need to be infused by the team leader. Regardless, the work done in this area over the course of the project will bring higher values — both to the success of the project and the individuals responsible for that success.