Hands up those who think that Team building is critical in today's business??

Some people don't buy in to this important principal, maybe they see themselves rather than their team members as the focal point, the most knowledgeable, and the decision maker.

So what does a manager need to consider when taking on a team and leading them to a place they all want to be .....which is a HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAM.

So what are the 'best team' experiences:

• Clearly defined common goals
• Celebration of successes
• Open and honest communication among team members and between the manager and the team
• The right people on the team
• A manager who really cares about the team
• Fun—enjoyment of the people and the team experience
• Rewards and recognition when goals are met or exceeded
• Strategies for handling challenging team members
• Availability of the resources needed for success
• support among team members

Anyone have any views, comments, suggestions??

Hi Justin

nice article...just a couple of additional ideas for this :

• manager who can clearly identifies the team member's roles and reponsibilities
• can provide a clear direction on what is happening and if possible, timeframes for this.

All the best

Sarah.

Hi

A manager needs to really understand their team colleagues and know how to motivate them and how to deal with them during the best and most challenging times.

James Cassidy.

Thank you Sarah and James for your views which are all good suggestions.

Unfortunately most people I spoken to on this subject would own up and say that they have had more bad team/manager experiences, therefore there expectations are very low.

They should not be!

Just to add, if a manager can develop a open and honest lines of communication among team members then that is a great start.

I also admire managers who take the time to be supportive and are very knowledeable in the business area.

Easy said than done I think, but certainly achievable goals for our managers :-)

OK folks.

So we now know what the best team behaviours are.

So lets say you have just joined a company as a manager and have a good sized team.

What steps do you need to take to get off to a flying good start with your team members, upper management and customers!

Let me start with 3 suggestions

1. you need to know what your team/dept objectives are and that you have upper management support for you developing the team!
2. Get to know your team members, take time out to have important 1:1 discussions as well as a good night out to bring the team together
3. As soon as possible you need to identify the important milestones, timeframes, challenges facing your team so you get a clear view on the capabilitity, capacity and short/long term risks

Hey Justin!

I guess the manager needs to understand what his staff are talking about.

Here is a little light humour on what not to do....

You made a promise which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."

Hello Ash

Nice bit of humour as well as a serious point....thank you.

So in being in a humourist frame of mind, what do you think of this picture caption:

Great Joke Ash!!

Lets stick with this theme....

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day.

A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?"

The crow answered: "Sure, why not."

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Management Lesson: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Regards

Jimmy!

Hi,

So you asked...What steps do you need to take to get off to a flying good start with your team members, upper management and customers:

1. Get to know what the team members are and what their thoughts are. Usually a team meeting will give you some early indication as to the team's morale and 'togetherness'!
2. Be clear about the goals and purpose of the team as there is usually some misconceptions
3. Try and establish the team and member's goals - this is your first opportunity to set the standards and Norms for the team.

Well thats it!

Regards

Jack Thompson

Hey Jack and Jimmy

Thank you for your contributions :-()

So just to wrap up my comments on the last question:

I think we also need to address the team's critical issues. This I think is where the first test will come from. If you get this right, then hopefully the team members will love you!

Some things to keep in mind:

• You need to have a good picture on the team's capabilities, workload and current priorities
• You need to have a clear view on the medium to longer term goals for your team and can demonstrate that the approach taken to address these issues is moving towards those goals
• How you plan on managing the team now, and your vision of how your management approach will change in the future
• How and why you want the team members to work with one another now and in the future

Hope this helps....can anyone add anything to this?

Hello Justin

I can add 1 item:

- understand what makes your team members tick so you can work on a game plan that will keep them highly motivated and performing on all cylinders!

All the best

Sally.