A leader's first responsibility is managing teams to achieve results. To successful manage a group, it is crucial for leader to understand what makes a team effective. In this post, I'll review four key characteristics of a good team: communication, care, connection, and conflict. Yes, you read that right...conflict is critical to this equation for success. Read on to discover the power of these 4 criteria.
Communication
Without effective and frequent communication a team is doomed, never moving out of the first stage of team development and certainly not moving on to team actualization. Members of a team must communicate regularly, honestly, openly, and respectfully. Leaders must ensure the team culture allows for these clear channels of communication.
Communication is the basis for moving along the team actualization pyramid, first relaying to team members they have tools to succeed, their voices will be heard, and they can trust one another. Then, effective communication reinforces bonds between team members and allows for discourse to improve results, innovate, and elevate others.
As an important side note, good communication isn't just about speaking. Effective communication also involves active listening; paying attention to what others are saying and understanding their perspective. This helps to prevent misunderstandings, and mistakes.
To foster an environment of effective communication a leaders should have regular check-in meetings with the team (e.g., weekly one-on-ones, daily huddles, project reviews, etc. Of course, ensuring all meetings are needed and productive), model respectful dialogue, and encouraging input from everyone.
Connection
A bonded team (phase 3 on the Team Actualization pyramid) is well on there way to high performance. This "connection" characteristic of a good team means members feel a sense of belonging and purpose and they understand the team's goals, values, and mission. They are connected to one another and the vision for the group as a whole.
Quite a bit of research exists supporting the fact that all high performing teams, whether in business, sports, theater, etc, feel a bond with one another. Connected team members are more productive, have longer company tenures, and are more creative.
To create a sense of connection within a team, ensure that everyone understands the team's objectives, values, and mission. Encourage team members to share their ideas, feedback, and concerns. Create opportunities to share personal news. Celebrate wins and problem solve issues together.
Care
A good team cares about each other's well-being and success. Care is a foundation for respect, trust, collaboration, and celebration. A team that cares about each other creates a positive work environment that promotes productivity, creativity, and innovation.
As a leader, it's essential to foster a culture of care within the team. You can do this by showing empathy, being approachable, and creating opportunities for team building and bonding.
Conflict
Does the word conflict make your heart race? Are you surprised to find this a core characteristic of a good team? If either are true, you are definitely not alone. However, it is critical to embrace conflict in the workplace, as it is paramount to creating a high performing team.
Debating ideas, disagreement, devil's advocacy are where innovation occurs. A team full of agreeable "yes-people" is a recipe for stagnation. Instead of avoiding conflicts, team members should be willing to address them openly and respectfully. And often. Creativity and enhancements come from this place of thought, introspection and challenge.
To create a culture of healthy conflict, the leaders should openly and constructively address disparate viewpoints, encourage team members to speak up and challenge ideas, and listen to all perspectives. The biggest challenge for a leader in dealing with conflict will be keeping focus on ideation as opposed to character assassination. Ground rules for team dialogue should have been creating early in the forming stages of team development. Refer to those often to maintain respectful dialogue directed at concepts and processes, not personalities. (Personality clashes will occur, but those should be handled by the leader and involved parties in an entirely different manner.)
Characteristics of a good team: summary
In conclusion, a good team is characterized by effective communication, connection, care,and conflict. As a leader, create an environment that fosters these characteristics and promotes teamwork, productivity, and success. By prioritizing these four characteristics, you can build a strong, cohesive team that achieves great things together.
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