Leadership and Teamwork

Strong, positive teamwork is defined by a leader who has a vision and the ability to inspire his team to work towards realizing that vision.

The leader is not threatened at least for the expertise and diversity of its team. Rather, a good team leader engages his teammates in a discussion about what quality looks like, what is needed to carry out and complete the work, and allows team members to fight for quality improvement.

Analyze all that into its component parts. The first is a clearly defined leader. I think every team needs a leader. There must be someone who is in charge and takes the final decisions.

Team members, in turn, may be the leader as long as everyone is clear who the leader is on a given day. Another variation of this theme is to have certain people be the leaders for projects that are in their area of ​​expertise. However, in any case, there can be no question among teammates who is the leader for that day or project.

The leader must have a vision. This is similar to Covey's second habit, "Begin with the end in mind." A true leader creates the end product twice --- once mentality and then in its current form. It 's impossible to lead toward a fuzzy vision. People just are not inspired to follow uncertainty.

Having the vision is not enough to inspire teammates to strive for the same purpose. A good team leader knows how to help each teammate see how the final product or service will be useful and what, exactly, their individual contribution is toward that end.

How does the janitor contribute to fans' delight to play professional baseball? Providing a clean, neat bathroom experience --- that's how. If the goalkeeper is seen as a vital cog in the big picture goal and receive positive recognition for this, then it is more likely to carry out his duties with enthusiasm.

Another component of being able to inspire their teammates is having a clearly defined mission that everyone, preferably, has had a hand in developing, but if not, at least the team members agree with the mission team previously established.

This becomes important in times of conflict among team members. When there is a dispute to be resolved, it is useful to have a way already established to measure the solution. Solutions are always held against the mission and whether the team will not move closer or farther away from the goal.

The other advantage of having a mission that has been agreed by all team members is that it can enhance cooperation. One of the hardest things to manage a team is an individual ego. There can be petty jealousies and a competitive spirit that can kill the cooperation of the best teams. The mission is a way to reduce this potential for disaster.

The mission remains the focus that everything else is compared. The action of an individual or is helpful or harmful to the mission and dealt with accordingly. The aim of the group must always be placed above desires of each individual or ego. Jealousy and backstabbing have no useful place in a team.

A good leader is in no way threatened by the expertise and diversity of its team. The best leaders are always looking for information from the front line people who are doing the actual work. Without information from team members, the leader's hands are tied behind his back.

It 'also important to use the team members in their areas of expertise. Leaders can not know everything about everything. There will be team members who have skills and capabilities that exceed those of the leaders in some areas. A good leader will ask for help when it is cautious.

This is also a time to appreciate diversity. Having a team made up of people who all do the same work in much the same way really has no value. A person could easily do the job of assembling a homogenous group.

The value of a team comes from its heterogeneity. Get feedback and suggestions from people who do things differently is what will inspire creativity and genius of the team. This is what it's all orchestrated. Tap into the wealth that is already there.

Finally, a good leader holds the bar high. He or she does not ask his team to be average or mediocre. Average and mediocre can be easily replaced. The leader asks his or her team to collectively do their best and when they finished, the leader asks them to always strive for continuous improvement. The work is never done. The team must always be evaluating what has been implemented and be comfortable suggesting ways to do even better.

Previously, I said that a good leader authorizes his or her teammates. Creating an environment that meets the needs does this. Team members must get along and we know that the leader and the company have their best interests at heart. They need to feel important, listened to and respected. They must have the freedom to make choices in the context of their assignments and have some fun in their work.

It 's also critical for team members to feel safe. This means that they are not afraid in any way. The team leader is crucial in fostering this environment for the empowerment of the whole team ....