It agrees clear and challenging objectives with all team
members contributing and committed to the objectives.
It has a leader.
It is a mix of people who contribute to the task.
It creates a balance between task and people.
It creates a supportive culture.
It learns from its own mistakes.
Being a team member
Most problems have more than one solution.
But in order to achieve success it’s necessary to focus on
just one. This if the role of the nominated leader – the
leader has the final say in which plan to follow.It’s more
than likely that you’ll want to follow another plan.
Nevertheless, unless the team pulls together as a whole, the team
as a whole will fail.
You’ve probably heard of the
expression, “too many Cowboys and not enough Indians”,
this is true of many teams. It’s important that all team
members pull together and support the final decision of the
leader. This does not necessarily mean that you’ll agree
with the decision; however it does mean that you’ll do you
best to keep to it.
The three C’s
Good teams:
Co-operate,
Communicate and
Compromise
Team roles
Think of these as characteristics needed
throughout the whole team not just to be found in specific
people:
The Leader
Creates a common purpose
Gives a clear vision of the problem
Clarifies the objectives
Ensure everybody is involved, committed and motivated
Coordinates the group’s efforts
Ensures decisions and progress are being made
The Thinker
Collects and analyses information
Listens to what’s said and watches what goes on
Can be quiet before suggesting ideas
Thinks the problem through
Sees solutions and anticipates problems
The Doer
Always wants to be active
Is prepared to get involved to help others
Wants to see progress, keeps to the plan
Gets bored with too much discussion
Hates wasting time
Works hard to finish the task
The Carer
Is concerned that everybody is fitting in
Contributes humour and ‘builds bridges’ around
the team