Building “A Team”

Having a group of individuals come together to successfully accomplish a task is why most of us want to build a team in the first place.  Whether for a short-term project or long-term engagement, team building can take a lot of effort.

There are all kinds of different teams in the world; sports teams, project teams, corporate organizational or business management teams, political teams, family teams and even married couples are a team.  They are all brought together through various ways and motivated to succeed at all kinds of different tasks or events.

Have you ever wanted to be part of a special team? Humans are social people and want to be on a team; it’s human nature to want to be part of something bigger than our self and be part of a group.  What teams are you on or would like to be a part of?

Building “A Team” From Scratch

If you are in charge of building a team you need to focus on several key areas:

First, you need to understand the special talent, skills and abilities needed to accomplish the task (which should be clearly defined).

Second, you need to find individuals that have those special talents, skills and abilities and recruit them into your group.

Third, if none can be found, you need to find those with the aptitude to learn the necessary skills and then train them.

Fourth, you need to motivate or incentivize them to all want to work together to accomplish your task.

Fifth, a leader (captain, champion) needs to step up and take responsibility for the team’s overall success as well as the individual success of the members of the team.  Leadership respect will be given to those that earn it, whether it’s the leader or a team member.

Managing “A Team” You Did Not Build

What if you did not build the team you are managing currently?  How do you know if your team has all the talents, skills and abilities to be successful?  If you are the leader of such a team, you need to address the five key areas we just mentioned above.

On your own, quickly go through each one of the five and determine if the members of your team should in fact be on your team.  Do they possess the talents, skills or abilities your group needs to succeed?  Can they be trained in the areas they are lacking?  Are they properly motivated to work as a part of the team?

Remember, your job as the leader is to accomplish the task, and to know that your group needs to function as a team.  The leader makes sure each team member does their part; that each member is held to the same standards as the other team members, feels part of the group and supports the group effort.  A good leader will praise team members in public and reprimand them in private when appropriate.  A leader leads by example and gains respect by giving it.

Many teams have succeeded and failed because of bad leadership.  Team building takes a leader that understands how a team comes together, works together and succeeds together.  Diligently following the five key areas we discussed above will put your team well on the path to success.

Go Team!

Gary J Kiecker

LifeLongU™