How to build a team that performs
“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” - Steve Jobs
Very few businesses if any, can achieve success without the support and hard work of a dedicated team. However, it is important to realise that there is a big difference between a working group of employees and a team. Working groups are common within businesses but building a team that can perform is a whole different ball game.
To enable the differentiation of the two we should look at accountability and purpose. Personal accountability and purpose make the best working groups. Working groups come together to share ideas, opinions and advice to help each person do their job better, however a team’s purpose and accountability is shared.
Accountability & Purpose
A team shares complementary skills and comes together with a common purpose, approach and goals to produce results through the joint contributions of its members.
In business, working groups tend to form naturally as a result of every day responsibility and office culture. Team’s should be formed by management around a purpose or end result that is appealing or believable. Developing a purpose that a team will support makes way for common commitment, this is the essence of a team - without it, groups perform as individuals, with it, the team becomes a powerful unit of shared performance.
It has been founded that the best teams invest a lot of time in searching and settling on a purpose that belongs to them both as a team and individually. From this, a strong team will then be able to translate their purpose into a specific set of team goals.
Setting Specific Goals
Goals are essential to establishing direction, efficient performance, maintaining focus and achieving results. Effective teams will set attainable goals right at the beginning of a project and pursue, adapt or change each goal in a way that will help to achieve the purpose of the project. If goals are not in place, direction can be quickly lost and teams can lose interest or the passion to succeed.
Performance goals are compelling and help to encourage a team throughout the duration of the project by achieving small wins which will help to motivate and energize. The combination of common purpose and achievable goals is essential to performance. Clear performance goals help a team keep track of progress and hold itself accountable throughout a project.
Interpersonal Communication
No team can perform to the best of its ability unless its members possess interpersonal communication skills. Functional skills and personal views of each team member must be varied to encourage thought provoking conversations and ideas. However, this will inevitably invite opposing views and conflict therefore interpersonal skills are essential to ensure a constructive approach.
Interpersonal skills include risk taking, helpful criticism, active listening, objectivity, giving the benefit of the doubt and recognising the opinions and achievements of others. People with strong interpersonal skills can communicate effectively and build better relationships with others, helping to build team cohesion.
In summary, no group of employees will ever become a team until it can hold itself accountable as a team. Team accountability is built on two core values – commitment and trust, both as vital as each other in building a team that performs. However, when a team communicates effectively, shares the same goals, agrees on the same approach and aims for the same purpose, accountability will grow as a natural result and a team will prosper.
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