Build Effective Teams - What Managers Can Do

1. Learn and Research. Being a great manager requires work and personal development. It’s not a passive process. It is an active and intentional process. It will call for empathy, fairness, and often times, mentoring from a seasoned executive.

Attributes such as patience, working well with others and active listening are valuable traits for effective leaders. Rest assured. These can be practiced and learned over time. Read “6 Habits of Highly Effective Bosses” by Stephen K. Kohn and Vincent D. O’Connell.

2. Fairness above Favoritism. At one time or another, everyone has felt “left out” or excluded. It is not a good feeling. A colleague or staff member that feels this way may well withdraw from the team dynamic. Trust me; nothing is worse than a talented team member withdrawing the skills that you hired them to perform. The result could be an “average” work performance. Mediocre staff members affect productivity as well as the department’s bottom line. In the long run, it will benefit everyone involved to create an environment where each individual feels safe, included and free to participate. If you don’t, it could cost you in the end.

3. Maximize the Strengths of the Team. Build your staff’s capacity by allowing multiple opportunities for contribution. Discover the “strengths” on your team and put them into play. For example, the “Blues” on your team have excellent communication. The “Golds” are great at working well unsupervised and the “Greens” are natural problem-solvers. Finally, those with an “Orange” temperament are terrific at keeping everyone motivated. Not sure which is which; let us give you a sneak peak.

4. Be the Solution. Make sure you are not inhibiting the success of your team. As the manager, it is critical that you do all that you can to ensure their success. I have heard it a million times. Countless team members have assessed their managers/supervisors as the biggest barrier to team success. Supervisors who are barriers to performance tend to:

• Poorly communicate expectations

• Break rules that and change polices to suit their purposes

• Pick favorites among the staff

• Neglecting to work as rigorously as they expect staffers to work

Invest in a quality consultant to create a team development plan. TCB Consulting will guide you in an assessment of your supervisory practices and help you find the “weak” spots in your management style. One final tip on this subject: run (very swiftly) away from a consultant that comes in with a host of games as a team-building approach. This is my pet peeve. Anymore, team-building is becoming synonymous with games and activities. But it involves much more.

A high-quality consultant will meet with you to discuss the current team climate and create a logical pathway toward the desired team culture. They will also link your organization’s business goals and performance needs to the teambuilding experience!

5. Keep it Going. Don’t approach teambuilding as a one-time event. Instead, incorporate team development into the culture of your department, office or organization. Regularly devise ways to facilitate collaboration, sharing of views and opportunities for input. Just like anything else of worth it takes time, intentionality and vision to create a focused and successful team.