Leading a Highly Effective Team
There are many traits that make up a good team but the three I think are most important are commitment, appreciation, and communication.
When everyone on a team is committed, the team works much more efficiently. Each team member is happy and knows the other members have their back. Every member will ideally be committed to the team and to each other team member individually. This doesn’t necessarily mean that team members will be conflict free, but they won’t let their personal conflicts interfere with the team’s goals.
Appreciation helps team members stay committed to the project/operational group. Letting the members know that they are appreciated and they are truly valued. It also helps increase general feelings of goodwill. Showing appreciation is as simple as saying “You did a good job when…” or “I liked the presentation when you were talking about…”. Appreciation helps keep the team focused on their wins, not on each others faults.
Communication is another big must for teams. Without effective communication, team members will become distant and isolated from each other, thus negating any benefits of forming the team in the first place. Maintaining effective communication can be as simple as holding a short weekly meeting to discuss deliverables, or as informal as building rapport with the members.
It’s important to remember that trying to maintain ridged communication lines can sometimes backfire. As a leader, you may try to increase communication by having a weekly meeting, but if the team feels that the meetings are too long, or if certain members monopolize the time, team members can quickly become demoralized and your efforts can backfire.
