By Ayming
One of the most important functions of a leader is to clarify the purpose and value of a team’s performance. Trust and belief are a huge part of a team buying into the process and helping to influence the required outcomes.
Goals and targets are equally important. Studies have shown that in most cases, teams with specific goals outperform those without goals. A failure to set clear goals is a common reason for teams failing.
Trust is another essential ingredient of a successful team, but mutual trust can only be established through concrete actions. Once trust has been established, team members are more likely to work co-operatively than compete against each other.
Another foundation of effective teamwork is having the correct balance of skills. A good team achieves far more working together than the sum of the individual team members working alone.
All this requires an effective team, and we’ve identified six things you can do to create one:
Communication
Keep your team up to date and informed of changes in policy and decisions by open and truthful communication.
Support
Be supportive of your team members’ suggestions and ideas.
Respect
Ask team members to keep you fully informed of progress but try not to interfere unless it appears that goals will not be achieved.
Fairness
Give credit wherever it is deserved, with impartiality and without favouritism.
Predictability
Be consistent and predictable in your actions.
Competence
Demonstrate competence and professionalism as the team leader.
Building team spirit
This can naturally develop from trust and co-operation and can be nurtured by reinforcing common team purposes and goals to give a sense of unity.
It’s also important to continually review the performance of your team. This will keep them moving in the right direction and help you pinpoint any areas where some essential training might be needed.
By asking team members for their views on the progress that they’re making, you can gauge how each one is developing and their contribution to the team.
It’s also important for team members to feel that their thoughts are valued. Clear, two-way communication between all parties is essential.
Want to know more?
Ayming builds bespoke programmes fully certified through City & Guilds as an assured certification or ILM programme. Ayming use a mixture of E-Learning, technology and workshop/consulting to deliver measurable results for our clients.
Get in touch with sward@ayming.com to find out more and discuss your needs with one of the team, or visit https://www.ayming.co.uk/expertise/hr-performance/people-performance-development/.
