Leading teams to success
"Leading teams is all about giving direction, inspiration, motivation and then giving them space to perform."
The most important part of the team and the element that all teams must have is leadership. In my experience at the coal face, managers who are responsible for team performance will often fall into one of two traps.
Some will continue to act like the traditional boss telling the team what, when and how to do things. Others will believe that they are empowering the team by maintaining a hands-off policy.
The fact of the matter, supported by significant research by respected institutions; such as the Harvard Business School, is that these two methods just don't work!
In reality, teams need to have leadership that gets involved. In practice this means that the manager needs to spell out the objectives making sure that the objectives are clear and understood. The manager should bring clarity to the direction and ensure that all members are fully briefed and understand exactly what is expected from them.
Having done this the leader needs to step back and allow the decision making authority to lie with the team. A team can only act as a team if it has real responsibility and determines how to achieve their goals.
It is then the leader's job to look beyond where the team is right now, over the hedge, so that when the time is right they can step in to assist the team with its direction based on what is just over the horizon.
Teams don't just happen; they need to be trained, in listening and communication skills, two vital elements to the function of the team. I have found that 'train first and 'team' later' just isn't going to work! For me the best alternative is periodic training and a culture of on the job coaching. I also believe that you need to remember that it's not just about learning new skills, there is also a need to unlearn old habits and so to be a good team leader you really need to have change leadership skills.
My top six tips for exceptional teams:
1. Have a clear set of objectives communicated with clarity by the leadership.
2. Have metrics for team members to assess their performance. Connect these to company objectives so that they can see the good they are doing.
3. Embrace a coaching culture, not one-off group training. Train in change, communication and listening skills.
4. Give the team authority to decide how to achieve the goals. Be prepared to start slowly and expand the scope of the team as they develop.
5. Incentives and rewards should be team-based, not individual as this will fragment the team dynamic.
6. Create an open culture with easy access to senior management and information.
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