Do You Have a Winning Team?

There are certain things every team needs and today we are going to talk about how you can build or enhance a winning team to even greater victories.

Conversation about "winning" teams begs the question, exactly why do teams win? In both business and sports arenas, teams win because they have an organized framework, direction, guidance and support. Winning teams have a coach who is there to lead, guide, and instruct them. For sure, a successful team does not just wondrously appear! Each team member is assessed for their talent, skills, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, coaches also look at how each player communicates with one another. They look for teamwork and chemistry.

When building a team, it is important to remember the factors that go into this process. Not taking a close look at all the components could result in failure.

At the outset, it is crucial to ensure that everyone is aligned. Every team needs things such as time, tools and even a budget. The most important thing is support. Communicating with other managers and department heads from the beginning, allows everyone to know the expectations and the importance of the team's goals.

Now, let's look at some fundamental elements that are critical to building an effective, winning team:

Understand Communication 

It is important to create an environment that allows team members to voice their opinions in an open and honest manner. To keep people motivated and on track you need to allow each team member to voice their own opinion - less monologue, more dialogue. Let them know that all topics can be discussed at meetings and that there is an open door policy. Understanding how each team member communicates is crucial. That is why it is essential to assess team members. Being able to recognize the individual behaviors, traits and styles of each team member beforehand will better prepare the team leader. They will know how each person communicates, learns, solves problems and works with others. Knowing each person's individual style will allow the leader to tailor coaching and direct conversations with minimum conflict.

Set Goals 
Without establishing clear, succinct goals the team will not have anything to strive for. A group of people, who all have different perspectives, are more inclined to get off track. Setting goals allows individuals to focus on specific tasks which will drive performance. Make sure that the goals are clearly communicated to everyone in the organization so everyone knows what the end result should look like.

Create Expectations

From the beginning, the team leader should lay out exactly what is expected of the team as a whole as well as each team member. Letting them know the rules and procedures will set the tone and structure that will allow everyone to contribute. A couple of examples would be to tell the team that you encourage collaboration and educated risk-taking or let everyone know that there may be some uncertainty and that testing different approaches and taking smart risks is necessary for achieving the best result. When the team hears this, they know they are expected to work together, take risks, and test different approaches for a better result.

Identify and Install a Decision-Making Process   

Create a process that will set the standards for making objective decisions. Every team needs a leader and the leader should be viewed as a facilitator. The job of the leader is to focus, motivate and make tough decisions when the team cannot agree on a decision. Remember, a decision is actually someone's choice. Let the team know if they have the right to make decisions. If the team cannot come to a unanimous decision then the leader should step in. Set a process so the team has "x" amount of time to come to a decision. If no decision is reached, then the leader will decide.

Lay Foundational Conditions for Team Effectiveness

When building a team - skills and experience matter, but so do fit, chemistry, style and motives. To find compatibility and understand individual styles, we highly recommend the use of assessments in order to understand the core behaviors and learning styles of each individual team member.

Get People To Do More of What They Are Good At

For successful implementation, team roles need to be clearly defined and clarified. Take time to consider your group members - their talents, personal aspirations and capacity for additional responsibilities. Match their strengths, behaviors and interests to the needs and goals of the team, and don't forget to build on the current expertise of your team members, and provide development opportunities to help ensure they can rise to the challenges of potential new roles.  

Celebrate Successes!

This is often the part of team building that is neglected the most. However big or small the milestone or success, celebrate! And remember to involve every team member so each individual feels valued and an important part of the team.

There is little doubt that building and managing a team is hard work. A key factor for an effective team is to ensure everyone in the organization understands the purpose of the team. Without support from everyone, including the CEO, the team will likely fail.