Leadership Skills

Successful Teams

To be on a "successful team" means being a part of something larger than just one person. For example, if all employees in a small company know about and believe in the company's mission statement, then they will all be working toward the same goals.

In a team environment, it is more than the mission statement. It is about employees contributing to the success of the organization. While the individual employees have specific job duties and varying roles within the organization, they work together (unified, if you will) toward the company's objectives. Team members see the "big picture" and work towards it.

Managers see teambuilding as a way to increase profits and improve productivity. While there is a lot of talk about team building, many executives are dissatisfied with team improvement efforts. One reason is that it takes work to keep a team functioning. A good manager cannot assign employees to a group and leave them on their own; he or she must monitor the group's performance. Someone needs to coordinate the team and ensure that its needs are met.

An effective team must have:

• Understandable and measurable expectations.
• Involvement from competent team members.
• Authority and materials to complete the tasks necessary.
• Ownership of their goals.
• Understanding of the team building process.
• Strong communication skills.

Your team may want to review a sample project outline as a way to organize your project.