The Secrets of Effective Team Interaction
Teams have often been touted as a way to replace managers, evoke initiative and assist in leadership development. When facing any businesses decisions or plans, it is important to have your team on board and bought in to the corporate or organisational goals. In reality, the synergy that's possible in teamwork usually turns out to be chaos. (See my ‘Herding Cats’ top tips on the website).
Here are some tips on making the most of your team, and most importantly, bringing them with you throughout your journey.
1. Invest in your team and give them a big enough vision or outcome
If the goal isn't bigger than the personalities of the team, the team's effectiveness will be mediocre at best, due to possible egos and opinions.
2. Train all team members in quality standards of behavior in team communication, response and interaction
Good ground rules are designed to keep the team's communication clean and ensure team membership actually mean’s something. Bad attitudes, delayed responses, nattering, gossiping or whining are potential grounds for expulsion.
3. Nominate or have the team vote for the Team Leader
Leadership is still required in any team environment. Not a manager, but a Team Leader. A Team Leader should have the confidence of everyone and not be the person with the power to hire and fire, unless of course, the members are ok with that.
4. Install quality structures that support the team and keep them moving
Daily or weekly reporting and visual displays of team goals/achievement will help everyone on the team understand that they ‘are’ on a team and that the team is really accomplishing something.
5. Appoint a team member/manager who manages the details of ideas and information
They will be the person who makes sure that any ideas are recorded, agreements are kept and that input from team members actually ‘goes’ somewhere and doesn’t disappear into thin air.
6. Have monthly meetings where the agenda is ‘how the team can work better together.’
First things first, these are ‘effectiveness’ meetings and not occasions to personally vent or gripe. Have a ground rule that says that any unresolved or un-communicated issues between team members must be completely resolved ‘prior’ to the next effectiveness meeting. This will help the meetings be positive and healthy sessions as apposed to hurtful or finger-pointing bouts. Secondly, encourage every team member to make one suggestion for team effectiveness improvement prior to the meeting, this way they can raise it during the meeting.
7. Know when a good team approach or direction is raised
Recognise great ideas or performance and also recognise when the team are or have been ‘sandbagging.’
8. Maintain accurate and frequent acknowledgement
A big part of what makes a great team work is that individual team members are recognised and acknowledged for what they have done. This will help motivate the team further and/or forward the outcome/goal. If you can, make this recognition a public thing, however, keep the praise accurate and factual. Too much praise can become uncomfortable.
9. Team meetings should be about innovation and creativity and not about reporting
Land the team with a great question or significant problem for them to get their teeth into. Don't make it a boring reporting session, that's what email and copy machines are for. If you are to include any reporting, keep it short and about the triumphs and progress.
10. The team will work best when the very people enjoy each other's company
With any team meeting or team process, you will naturally deepen relationships, from which culture, moral, effectiveness and profitability will naturally increase.
