Team Development: Rules for Success
by: Trudy Bourgeois
Have you ever wondered why some departments function better in an organization than others? Is it because of their leader? Yes, in part. But perhaps the reason some departments or business units experience greater success is because the people in the department are connected. They share common goals. They share values. They understand how their individual role contributes to the achievement of the department's goals and strategies. They even understand how the department goals contribute to the execution of the overall corporate strategy.
How do you get a team connected? I have found that establishing rules of engagement are extremely helpful in anchoring the entire team. A leader will get more buy-in from the team if total team is involved in developing the rules of engagement. The next time you have a business meeting consider securing some time at the beginning of the meeting to talk about how business will be conducted within the team. You, as the leader, might want to offer some skeleton ideas to get things started. I have listed several options for your consideration below.
Top Ten Values for Team Success
1. No hidden agendas tolerated. Everyone must be clear on the goals and must commit to pursuing achievement of those goals. The focus must constantly be placed on meeting the desires of the customer and no one else!
2. No passengers, results are a given! Everyone has a role to play. Excellent performance is the norm. If you need help in executing your role, you must accept responsibility for acquiring the skills needed-support is always available from other team members or from the leader.
3. We embrace learning from each other. No one knows it all, even if we think we do. The success of a team comes from the contribution of many different talents. Celebrate the depth of the talents and learn from each other.
4. We communicate freely, openly and honestly. Effective business communication is critical for a team's success. A team must deal with real issues to develop real solutions. There are going to be times of heated debates and differing points of view. Embrace these debates in the spirit of making the team better. Then forget and move on!
5. There must be integrated success! Whether we realize it not, individual success is not enough! It is good for one person to succeed; greatness comes when the team succeeds. We commit to not get content with contentment! We will continue to stretch for higher levels of success.
6. Check the politics at the door! In order for a team to function at its highest level, a leader must create an environment for true development! People can't develop if they are busy playing politics. There is enough politics in most corporate settings without your team supporting it!
7. No titles, even for the leader! Regardless of your hierarchical position when the team comes together everyone is on neutral ground. There is so much strength to be found by embracing this philosophy.
8. No surprises! No one likes to be blindsided, especially not from someone on his or her own team, especially the leader. Give people the heads up on issues; developments and opportunities that you made come across!
9. Admit to mistakes and move to correct it right away! People are human. As humans, we will make mistakes. The important thing is to acknowledge the mistake, and move to take correct measures to undo the error.
10. Respect the person as a whole. We are individuals with minds, bodies and souls. We seek success in all three areas. In doing so we acknowledge that work is only one part of a complete individual… not the whole sum. Everything must be kept in proper perspective and balance!
The examples above have been of benefit to me as a leader. I hope they will provoke your thinking of values that you can use to inspire you and your team to greatness!