True or false? Teams that practice good teamwork contribute to an organization's success.
Not only "true" but blatantly true.
The fact may be plain and simple, but creating a successful team, leading a successful team, or participating on a successful team is not so plain and simple. The sticky word is "successful." Creating a team is easy. Sitting in the leader's chair can be fairly simple. Team membership may just mean showing up.
But successful? Hold on and wait a second.
This article explores two requirements for team success. For each requirement, we explore specific action items to help you and your team fulfills those requirements. We start with trust.
Trust: A Successful Team's Foundation
A team that builds its harmony on trust enjoys the ease and enthusiasm that bring success. In fact, that trust-foundation makes the harmony all the sweeter.
Steven Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, states, "Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people. But it takes time and patience?"
Trust and team are almost synonymous. However, you cannot assume that trust develops naturally as part of the team's personality. Bringing trust-what it means, how it works, and why it matters-to the front of every team member's mind can be a great step towards team success. A great step that demands your attention.
Here are three underlying benefits your organization-and its customers-will experience once your team works with high levels of trust.
Increased Efficiency -- As team members trust that every one will carry out her responsibility, all can attend their specific functions more completely. The decrease in distractions gives an increase to efficiency.
Enhanced Unity -- The greater each member of a team trusts other members, the greater strength the team assumes. This unity strengthens the team's commitment to fulfill its purpose.
Mutual Motivation -- When two (or more) people trust one another, each one consciously and subconsciously strives to uphold the others' trust. That motivation stimulates each team member to seek peak performance.
So, how do you build trust as a fundamental team possession? Here's the short answer: build a clear structure and process to promote trust. Team members want to trust one another from the outset. If specific trust-building tools and tactics are missing, however, they will have a hard time building that trust. Below are three traits that establish a foundation for trust among team members. Notice how each trait focuses on interactions among teammates.
Open Expression -- Every member team needs ongoing opportunities to express her thoughts regarding the team's purpose, process and procedures, performance, and personality. From the team's get-go, the team leader can initiate every individual's chance to speak to the team's actions. A truly effective leader insures that even the quietest member is heard (and so becomes increasingly comfortable speaking up). The more continuously everyone on a team has chances to express openly, the more every one grows used to speaking freely and to being heard. Open expression quickly becomes everyone's pleasure, and not just the leader's responsibility.
Information Equity -- When it comes to information relevant to the team and the team's function, the rule must be "all for one and one for all." Information available to one team member must be available to all members. The secret this trait is in its process. Standardized practices for sharing information equally are simple. A few minutes setting up a team email address and holding a five-minute update each morning are two examples. These can establish everyone-gets-to-know-what-everyone-gets-to-know behavior patterns. Trust level rises when no one fears that she receives less information than others.
Performance Reliability -- We trust people we can count on. We count on people who do what they say they will do when they say they will do it. Conscientious work on the first two traits produces results in the third. Open expression and shared information enhance team members' performance reliability. Open communication can place everyone's performance cards on the table: strengths and weaknesses, confidence and fears. Equal information allows everyone to know what and how every other team member contributes to success. This knowledge produces shared support, praise, and assistance. What is more team-like than that? When expectations of every team member are up front and open, every team member strives to perform at full force for the good of the team.
TIPS FOR TEAM TRUST
The following five tips support the idea that Open Expression, Information Equity and Performance Reliability grow from how well a team communicates within itself. These tips are for the team leader and every member of the team.
1. Talk the Talk. Take responsibility for role modeling Open Expression. Don't be afraid to share information about yourself. Encourage others to do the same. Keep at it.
2. Build the Pattern. At team meetings and water-cooler chats, establish the tell-and-ask pattern. Share information about your work and ask questions about your teammate's work. It takes a bit of repetition to anchor the pattern. It's worth it.
3. Distribute to Discuss. Make it team belief that one reason for distributing information to everyone is so that it can be discussed. "New data" can be a constant agenda item at meetings. "What do you think?" can be a constant question among team members.
4. Make Good News. Usually people want to complete work rather than fulfill roles. Not much to say about one's role. Much to share about one's work. Create opportunities for people to comfortably share good news about the work they perform. (Bulletin boards, email news, lunch discussions, for example.
5. Use a Constructive Question. Have your team adopt a specific question that does two things: directs attention to the team's purpose and stimulates communication. The question can be an icebreaker at team meetings, a common follow-up to "Hi! How are you?" in the halls, a regular element in team reports. Example questions: What progress have we made? What have we done that makes us proud? What obstacles have we overcome?
Tim Wright, President/CEO of Wright Results, Inc., works with organizations that help their people "blow the lid off their performance." Tim's Blow the Lid Off Performance curriculum is currently an eight-course offering that focuses on individual/personnel performance, team performance, and leadership performance.
Contact Tim Wright at http://www.wrightresults.com
one time home cleaning Highland Park ..There's nothing that matches the power of teamwork to accomplish... Read More
Benefit 1 - You get to understand them betterAlmost everyone... Read More
Irrespective of any given situation, "Team Work Works!" It is... Read More
No figure in history is like General Patton. He was... Read More
When was your last team celebration? Have you been way... Read More
7 Key Dimensions of High Performance Teams We can always... Read More
The Fantasy: Your marketing budget is packed to the brim... Read More
Most believe that leadership is an innate quality that some... Read More
Perhaps you're a small business owner wondering how you and... Read More
"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common... Read More
You are new to Internet Marketing, you join one Affiliate... Read More
The grand purpose of coaching is to help your managers,... Read More
A college football team has it. A corporation has it.... Read More
A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals... Read More
Do you remember how you felt after your last interaction... Read More
Team Building Question:I'm a manager of a team of 20... Read More
CREATE A MOTIVATIONAL CLIMATE: Create a climate where others find... Read More
In a recent group coaching session, a client mentioned that... Read More
"Conflict becomes politics, commitment becomes 'Only if it's in my... Read More
One of the greatest challenges a coaching manager has is... Read More
A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals... Read More
The second in a series of 2 articles giving a... Read More
Young minds are quite easy to shape. International Terrorist recruiters... Read More
1. Humor reduces stress levels and stress is the number... Read More
Franchisors should also be heavy on the award side of... Read More
licensed cleaning services Park Ridge ..Companies often have incentives for reps, but sometimes that isn't... Read More
For companies to be competitive, decisions have to be made... Read More
A Successful Team is built around mateship, around respect for... Read More
The Sales Director had organised a great conference; the venue... Read More
Proactive High Performance Teamwork is made up of nine proactive... Read More
Are workers telling the truth when they say they are... Read More
You are new to Internet Marketing, you join one Affiliate... Read More
Who keeps the wheels turning in your organisation? Who holds... Read More
Many believe a leaner government promotes better freedoms with respect... Read More
What's the Secret Ingredient That Turns Groups into Teams? Working... Read More
The ability to build effective teams is a must for... Read More
More and more I hear people misunderstanding what someone else... Read More
The world of work has changed. It used to be... Read More
As a manager, your employees will come to you with... Read More
Managing a small business continues to become more challenging. However,... Read More
It's a great sunny day so it's time to get... Read More
Why do some teams perform well while others struggle? How... Read More
It's not true in every organization, but it is true... Read More
Team Building Question:I'm a manager of a team of 20... Read More
Leaders are faced with unlocking the potential in the people... Read More
Teams run most businesses and teams work best if each... Read More
Teams are often useful in situations where the task cannot... Read More
Giving gifts to your co-workers or your employees can be... Read More
Benefit 1 - You get to understand them betterAlmost everyone... Read More
True or false? Teams that practice good teamwork contribute to... Read More
Team Building |