Forming effective teams is a challenge for many companies. Write down the following ingredients for putting together a successful team:
1. Have clear objectives
Without a well-defined goal or clear guidelines regarding what is needed from the team, it’s impossible to put together the right team to get where we want to go. Start by asking yourself where you want to go and why. The team you form should feel that it has some flexibility to determine the best way to reach the goal.
2. Adequate resources
Once you know what you want, the next step is to make sure you have the tools and resources necessary to reach your goal. Your organization must be prepared to support the team in achieving the objectives set for it, and the team should have access to any help it might need.
3. Defined roles
Once you’ve formed the team, the roles will change a little. Each person will develop a capacity and have a different style and therefore will be focused on different tasks. You should control the roles and choose the most suitable members to carry out each project.
4. Strong leadership
To create and manage a strong team, it’s fundamental to establish leadership with each member of the team. Leaders build their relationships on the basis of trust and loyalty, not through pressure or threats. Remember that there are no stupid ideas; each member can make a valuable contribution. Encourage the members of your team to share information and act in harmony; together you can find creative solutions to any challenge.
5. Seek consensus
Reaching consensus takes time, but it’s the way to make the group more productive because it ensures that all team members are committed. It’s important to clearly establish the rules of the game to guarantee efficiency and ensure that the team commits itself. For example, all the members of the team should be on time for meetings, all the members should offer ideas and suggestions during meetings, etc. There are applications like Brilliant Meeting that can help you form habits like these to get the most out of meetings.
6. Promote the exchange of ideas
Promote listening and the exchange of ideas between the members of the team, that way you’ll boost creativity and avoid wrong decisions due to the fear of being out of step with the others.
7. Keep your word
If you promise something, first make sure you can do it. When the members of the team perceive that you’re someone they can trust, they will adopt the same positive attitude.
8. Provide feedback and recognize achievements
A high-performance team should have its priorities clear and receive proper feedback to know whether or not it’s meeting expectations. At the same time, the members of teams should share the responsibility for achievements and receive the previously defined rewards.
Finding the right combination of people, experience and knowledge for managing successful teams is fundamental for standing out in an environment that is often changing and full of competitors. What other ingredients would you add to the recipe for forming an efficient team?
[ Image: Vanessa Miralles]
