“Stacking the Deck” for a Successful Team

From what I’ve learned and experienced both as a team member and a team coach, there are 5 things you need to have in place to have a successful team.

Clarity about who is on the team - Most people are on multiple teams, and the lines between them can become blurred. It may sound simple, but ensuring you know who is on a team eliminates confusion, and creates clarity about what you are delivering, who wants it and why.

Compelling Purpose - From a strategic point of view, having a compelling purpose means having a sense of the contribution you’re making. An understanding of your “why” will help your team stay focused. Less ambiguity means less knee-jerk reaction to external requests. Knowing what’s truly important also means you can focus on the design and the customer experience, both from a technical and human perspective.

The Right People - Yes, it’s great that individuals think of themselves as results driven, but the way teams work is by having people who are willing to get out of their comfort zone. That means people who test out assumptions and stay curious about why things are the way they are; having a learner mindset. That also means recognizing the gaps that need to be filled to get to where they want to go. 

Solid Structures - How we want to be with each other is documented and visible. A Team Charter is in place with rules and work practices, to ensure accountability, productive meetings, healthy dialogue, etc.

Supportive Context - Teams need an environment that measures up to what is required as per the specifications of the project. This ties directly to Compelling Purpose and supports the do ability of the goals. A supportive context includes things such as access to information, people and material resources.

What happens when these conditions are noticeably absent? We might start compromising, cutting corners, and reaching the finish line with a product that no one wants.

What’s Coming Up:

I have a free workshop coming up in January with a bunch of different dates to choose from on Authentic Team Leadership. I wrote about this recently in my blog  If stepping into a leadership role excites you as well as frustrates you, I’d love to have you join whatever date is easy for you. In the workshop I’ll demystify a few things about leadership and how you can remain your authentic self. Details for the workshop and dates are available through Eventbrite. Here’s the link to sign up: Eventbrite

I hope this workshop will also inspire you to stick with your team leadership journey, for real this time. My upcoming Team Leadership Program is set to run in the week of January 24 to January 28, every lunch time from 12 to 1:15 pm.  Because you’ll be with a group of like-minded aspiring leaders, you’ll learn from each other as much as through my course content. Here’s the link from my website on the Team Leadership Program

And if you have any questions about the program or anything else, please contact me