Tip 200 - Team Effectiveness
High-performing teams demonstrate certain common characteristics. What are those characteristics, and how does your team measure up?
Patrick Lencioni, thought leader and author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, shows how teamwork is essential to organizational success. Review the checklist for assessing your team’s effectiveness.
Provide each member the opportunity to grow personally and professionally.
Become a part of, and commit to, a shared goal or vision—one that presents a meaningful challenge.
Have complementary skills necessary and respect what each person brings to the team.
Recognize that team members need to depend upon one another's efforts.
Seek to align, integrate, and synchronize everything.
Hold team members accountable for outcomes.
Build a high level of trust and commitment so team members can work well together.
Motivate team members to put their best effort to perform the tasks assigned to them.
Provide value that is relevant to their customers.
Achieve recognition for the services provided.
If you’re like most team leaders, you checked some of these. It is more likely that some went unchecked, and there is always room for improvement. Getting started on effective teamwork doesn't have to be a challenge to become a more cohesive team.
As Lencioni states, “Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.”
