Characteristics of a successful team

Teamwork plays a vital roll in the success or failure of an institution. There is almost no profession that doesn't requires working in a team.

Organizations that give priority to the team building and ensure to hire the employees who fit their collaborative culture build an atmosphere where every team member’s contribution is acknowledged and appreciated, that results in fertility and success. Agreed upon a common goal and working together to achieve that goal is the real meaning of team. Effective goals should be S.M.A.R.T.—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. The S.M.A.R.T. strategy of goal setting provides a pattern for victory and helps ensure a team stays on task and focused.

Great leadership play key rolls in building of a strong team. From simplifying goals to staying on task to finding solutions to conflict, a team leader carries the heavy responsibility of ensuring everyone works well together, contributes to overall goals, and stays on task.

A good leader instill in his team clear vision, confidence, commitment and flexibility. Leadership expert John Maxwell said it best, “a leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” (Brox, 2015)

    Even though staying focus on a common goal is the key for a team, diversity in points of view on how to accomplish it can be just as important. A diverse team can come out with more ideas and solutions to the biggest problems. This can help to show the potential path of success that may not arise from a team made up of members who are too similar. A creative team includes members who are different in age, gender, ethnicity, and back ground.

Works Cited:

Brox, J. (2015, August 31). Essential Characterstics of a Successful Team. Retrieved from Refresh Leadership.com.

Blog#2

A Successful Team is a Group of Many Hands But of One Mind 

     Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” - Andrew Carnegie

     There’s a saying “Team Work Makes a Dream Work” which is essentially true because one is a very small number for greatness. Every great enterprise has begun at least with a team of 2 people. Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak led to the founding of Apple, 5 talented musicians led to the formation of The Beatles and the story goes on and on.

     A husband-wife team if good can create a great marriage, but if the teamwork does not turn out good, the entire family can get devastated. Divorces, single parenting and lawsuits that are seen in the present society are mere consequences of not being able to work as a team within the marriage. Thus, in every area of life, there is a need of better teamwork. Similarly, in politics better teamwork will create better government activities irrespective of which party is in power.

Work Cited

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajan-thapaliya/how-teamwork-makes-the-dream-work_b_9794438.html

Blog#3 

How a Team Leader Can Keep His Team Motivated?

 1.    Find out what they need

A team leader should know what his team needs from him. Sometimes simply listening can help to recognize a problem and make it easier to find a solution.

 2. Be respectful

Showing respect for the hard work and dedication of your team members will create more productive team. Fancy internal awards and recognition is great, and some employees feed off that, but your team will perform much better when they know that they have your respect.

3. Stop micromanaging

A true leader trusts his team and let them to perform with out standing over their shoulders. If you are confident that you made correct hiring decision, there is no need for micromanagement. If you made the wrong choice you need to take the responsibility and correct it.

4. Lead by example

Your habits and leadership will rub off on your team. If you disappear for a few hours at lunch time or dip out early to shoot 9-holes of golf you aren’t leading by example. You should never dip below the bar you set and expect your team to perform at. 

5. Be decisive

When it comes time to make a decision you have to take a play out of Nike’s book and just do it. Your growth and success is dependent upon action. Procrastination will slow you down. If you demonstrate decisive actions your team will develop the same decision-making skills.

6. Show emotions

Nobody wants to be led by an emotionless robot. Let your emotions shine -- smile, laugh and have fun with your team. Even the most routine task can be viewed with a value when we are in a good mood. Positive emotions also encourage outside-the-box problem solving.

7. Push their limits

If you never push your team, they will remain stagnant. Sure, the work will get done, but don’t expect to experience excitement and growth without encouraging them to operate out of their traditional comfort zone. You want to achieve excellence and not mediocrity, right?

Work Cited:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241883

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9LSopkLbpw&app=desktop

Blog#4

Qualities That Make an Accomplished Team

Organizational Skills

A team confused with no idea where to start on particular projects is threatened to defeat. Strong organizational skills must be employed to describe the work projects and set them going on. In addition, the ability to organize the team's composition, structure, hierarchy and functioning is an essential trait to develop a successful team.

Openness and Good Communication

The openness of all team members to communicate ideas and issues is important to the overall success of any project. Conversations must take place in which everyone listens to the speaker and feels free to respond in turn. Team members should access all conversations with respect, trust and honesty.

Clear Objectives and Agreed Goals

A quality team of professionals must have the skill of accurately understanding what is happening. The group needs to be able to identify issues, assess what is working and what is not and be truthful enough to state when mistakes are made. Clear heads and reasonableness are necessary in this situation.

Conflict Resolution Abilities

Within any organization, there are situations of conflict. A successful work team must co-operate and resolve accordingly when disputes occur. Bring in a professional trainer in these skills to teach you and your staff methods that are effective.

Diverse Group

Diversity in a work team makes it especially strong. A group with individuals who differ from one another brings more creativity and suggestions to the table than one composed of similar people. Invest in a team with members of differing ethnicities, ages, genders and cultures for success in business.

Innovative Thinking

Another quality of a successful team is thinking out of the box. Members should come with brainstorming ideas and ready to convert old beliefs and normal processes. Creative thinking involves risk, so you and your team members must show courage to shine

Sense of Responsibility

Members with sense of responsibility to the team make a quality team. According to Business Advantage International, a business is successful when team members understand and live up to their responsibilities to the entire group. Business managers should seek to hire employees interested in sharing work responsibilities with others.

Strong Work Ethic

A team that carries through rough patches to get the job done is the type of group everyone wants to work with. A strong work ethic demonstrated by each individual ensures projects are done well and on time.

Work Cited:

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/top-10-qualities-build-successful-work-team-25444.html    

Blog#5

Top 5 Reasons Business Teams Fail

1. The team lacks a clear and compelling vision and purpose.

·      Expanded conflict on how to achieve goals

·      People working in isolation

·      Teams go in different directions

·      Performance well below potential

·      Unfocused meetings

·      Slow decision process and momentum

·      Arguments over insignificant items

2. Team members do not hold each other accountable for their work.

·      Bad feelings expressed or not

·      “Backstabbing”

·      Scapegoating

·      Not taking responsibility for actions

·      Big problems suddenly crop up

·      “Off the record” conversations

·      People are too quiet in meetings

3. The team does not have shared leadership

·       Team members go outside the team for help

·       Members compete for resources or training

·       Mistakes are covered up or blamed on others

·       Too much time on unimportant tasks

·       People feel slighted by “team” decisions

·       Decisions making seems arduous

·       Team becomes divided

4. Team processes are ineffective or not well established

·       Confusion among team members about priorities

·       Meetings don’t stay on task

·       Drawn out conflict or recurring issues

·       Frequent overwhelm and/or low morale

·       A lack of urgency about what they are doing

·       Uncertainty about how to address issues

·       No personal ownership of problems

5. The team has too much, or too little autonomy

Too much autonomy or weak leadership

·       Teams unclear of purpose or direction

·       Frequent project delays

·       Poor decision-making

·      Fights for control of resources

·      Mistakes hidden or overlooked

·      Power struggles within team (conflict)

·      Poor team performance

Too much authority 

·      People unwilling to take risks

·      No innovation or new ideas

·       Acceptable performance at best

·       Low morale

·       High turn over rate of staff

Work Cited:

http://actionplan.com/pdf/SidSmithart.pdf