Building great teams starts with understand what great teamwork means. All too often, people think that a ‘team player’ is someone who fits quietly into a group and keeps out of trouble. But if everyone behaved like that, a team wouldn’t work effectively—a flock of sheep may hang together well, but their only accomplishment is to eat grass.
Teams and team-based projects have become common in organizations, yet managing teams is a difficult aspect of leadership. Team leaders must have an understanding of:
- the benefits of team-building—what a team can achieve and what the leader should be striving for;
- team roles and dynamics—how teams work and achieve their greatest success;
- the stages of team development—what they are and how to support the team in each stage;
- the features of a successful team;
- mistakes to avoid.
For a team to work, it’s essential that all members are committed to that aim, so leaders must themselves be supportive, enthusiastic, and motivating. They must organize and communicate well in order to co-ordinate team efforts both within the team and with others outside the team.
A good team includes members who work at understanding each other, and communicate honestly and openly. They’re committed to the team’s success and are respectful and supportive of each other, sharing information and experience. The team acknowledges the role of the leader and understands that there are circumstances when he or she will need to step in and make a decision. Conflict is unavoidable in most work situations, but a good team will work through conflict by generating new ideas and reaching an understanding.
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