There is a lot written about high performing teams. Understandably this is an important topic; if your team works well then you can achieve more than with just the individuals put together.
Do your teams work like a team, or are they just a collection of people who are called a team?
If you are wanting to improve the rate at which your business improves, or how your business delivers it projects, products and services on time then asking this question is useful.
If the members of the team are rigidly working in the way that they have always worked it might be a sign that they aren't working together. Being able to flex workloads and ensure that the team is running at one pace is essential to the overall success of the team.
When communication within the team is poor that is often another sign that you have a collection of staff rather than a team. Instead of discussing the basics of the team's function on a regular basis a poorly performing team just 'gets on with it'.
Being unwilling to press each other on difficult matters is another sign that the team isn't a team. Friction is a natural part of a team that is growing and improving. If there are topics that your team won't tackle as a collective then this may be another sign that they are not a true team.
I see lots and lots of teams that are called teams but are anything but. When people do come together as a team they can do tremendous work, and achieve some outstanding results. The above three points are common failings that I see on my travels. If you can spot the above taking place in your business then perhaps it is an opportunity to see if you can coach and mentor the team to address some of these issues and start to move them in the right direction.
A great team can make a real difference,
Giles
Get your team working together with these free tools
If you want to help your teams become more effective, by focusing on continuous improvement projects, then check out my continuous improvement toolkit - Making It Happen.
The toolkit includes tried and tested strategies and methods that I have used with my clients to help them achieve the results they needed in their businesses.
Focusing your teams on a common problem is a great way to get them to start working effectively as a team. The modules and exercises within the toolkit are ideal to develop your team's ability to collaborate and make change happen at the same time.
There is a free tools section of Making It Happen, to help you get started today.
To access the free improvement tools - click here.
Do your teams work like a team, or are they just a collection of people who are called a team?
If you are wanting to improve the rate at which your business improves, or how your business delivers it projects, products and services on time then asking this question is useful.
If the members of the team are rigidly working in the way that they have always worked it might be a sign that they aren't working together. Being able to flex workloads and ensure that the team is running at one pace is essential to the overall success of the team.
When communication within the team is poor that is often another sign that you have a collection of staff rather than a team. Instead of discussing the basics of the team's function on a regular basis a poorly performing team just 'gets on with it'.
Being unwilling to press each other on difficult matters is another sign that the team isn't a team. Friction is a natural part of a team that is growing and improving. If there are topics that your team won't tackle as a collective then this may be another sign that they are not a true team.
I see lots and lots of teams that are called teams but are anything but. When people do come together as a team they can do tremendous work, and achieve some outstanding results. The above three points are common failings that I see on my travels. If you can spot the above taking place in your business then perhaps it is an opportunity to see if you can coach and mentor the team to address some of these issues and start to move them in the right direction.
A great team can make a real difference,
Giles
Get your team working together with these free tools
If you want to help your teams become more effective, by focusing on continuous improvement projects, then check out my continuous improvement toolkit - Making It Happen.
The toolkit includes tried and tested strategies and methods that I have used with my clients to help them achieve the results they needed in their businesses.Focusing your teams on a common problem is a great way to get them to start working effectively as a team. The modules and exercises within the toolkit are ideal to develop your team's ability to collaborate and make change happen at the same time.
There is a free tools section of Making It Happen, to help you get started today.
To access the free improvement tools - click here.