There are many things that bring a team together and then again, there are certainly things that tear them apart. Money or financial incentive has long been the preferred recruiting tool for those looking to create a well balanced finely tuned highly successful team. Which is great if you have the money or incentive but what about if you don't? What about if money or financial incentive is not the main key in all of this?
Where do you go then?
What is it that your team provides above and beyond money or financial incentive? Are these incentives strong enough to recruit new team members or for that matter are they strong enough to maintain the team members that are already with you?
Plenty of questions aren't there? How about we start looking at some areas that could provide the answers to what you can do to develop, recruit and retain a quality team.
As always this will not be complete list but hopefully one that will get you thinking about your team and where these ideas fit in or what can be done to make the team better.
It is a learning environment
We all want to learn and grow from the experiences and opportunities that life presents. Does your team provide that opportunity.
Hopefully there is an opportunity to learn the specifics associated with why the team has been brought together, but also an opportunity to learn from others in a non specific way.
The utilisation of the experience, skills and abilities from one team members to another. The learning of new ideas and concepts that apply to everyday life.
It should be a goal of every team to create opportunities for team members to learn so that they can realise their full potential.
You work with a standard not just to result
You have heard me say it many times. It is not only what you do that is important but how you do it. The team will be remembered for the result they get but will be respected by the standards they upheld to achieve it.
Develop individual accountability and responsibility
A team that understands its purpose and has a makeup of people that accept their responsibility, both individually and collectively towards that purpose, is a pretty powerful unit.
We all don't mind putting in the hard yards as long as we realise we are not the lone ranger. That those around us are going to fulfill their responsibility to them self, to the other team members and to the purpose of the team.
Preparedness to understand each other
There is an understanding within the team that you are not going to agree on everything. But there is an even stronger understanding of the need to respect and honour other team members point of view.
Before decisions are made, before conclusions are created, there is a collective resolve to understand the point of view of all.
Open communication
Is this a team that communicates what needs to be said when it is needed? Or is it a team that has not yet grown enough to be able to discuss issues openly with each other?
It is not a matter of having meetings where everyone just goes after each other, but a team that has produced and understanding and an environment where team members can discuss issues openly to see issues resolved and goals and targets attained.
Rules by which we live
Is this a team that has developed a set of guidelines on how it will act and interact. Is it a team that recognises the need to have guidelines on how it will operate.
Although a basic concept "Rules by which you live" can and will provide the substance to keep the team together through all the situations and opportunities that it will encounter.
Satisfaction
The direction, the goals, the structure and culture of the team provide satisfaction for the individual, the team and the organisation.
Hard to do? yes! Achievable? Most definitely.
But all out of what has been outlined above, will go a long way to providing the satisfaction that each team member and the team as a unit are looking for.
The responsibility to develop these areas is not necessarily in the hands of the team leader. It is a shared responsibility that members of a team take on so as to see the team grow and prosper.
© 2009 Total Performance Concepts Pty Ltd
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