First Level Leadership

Team Building Indeed… He is a Savvy Player with Many Pulls at Once

Team building skills from a leader, whose face was alert and lively, with a sharp chin and astute little eyes!

What did a smart leader do,   when he found out that two of his people were not getting on too well? They were far from showing signs of team building. What was his strategy? He gave them a job to do together. The task was not easy and the outcome important. The decision was jointly discussed and agreed, and the leader made it clear that he regarded both men equally obligated for the results.

He was trying to form a team within a team  

After a slightly shaky start, this is what he got. The common aim forced both men to sort out the differences and work together. These rewards were public recognition of their achievements.

However, during the process 

He conducted regular review sessions covering areas such as objectives, progress made, validity and effectiveness of the methods and systems.

He also made efforts to understand the problems 

faced by each individual, which required help from others. He spent time considering such matters to underline the concept of shared responsibility. His approach was so subtle that the team members did not even realize it.

He also added a briefing element to his reviews

to ensure that both the team members were informed about matters that affected them and their jobs. He took every job seriously but not solemnly. A solemn atmosphere can be inhibiting and therefore, he always put in some appropriate humor. 

Would you like to know what he included in the briefing sessions  

He followed the principle of AAA (Achievement, Administration, and Action)

Achievement - He used briefing sessions to give that highly motivating public recognition that gurus recommend. 

Administration - He allowed opportunity for grumbles and questions. Actually he was addressing Hertzberg's hygiene factors. He believed that he did not have the monopoly of knowledge. He made sure that grumbling and questioning remained to be a helpful and supportive act and not an act of belligerence.

Actions – referred to any activity, which was not purely concerned with individual job content. It covered extra non-routine work. 

Some of the benefits he reaped by his team building approach were:

1. Reduced misunderstanding 

2. Improved commitment 

3. Reduced damage resulting from rumors – Hammy stories are more stimulating and amusing and many people derive pleasure in passing them on. 

4. Communicating the facts (even if they are considerably less exciting!) stops damage in its tracks. 

He even strengthened his role while team building

He strengthened his leadership by always conducting the briefings personally. He firmly believed that the person who distributed official information was regarded as the leader. Therefore, he never delegated this particular job to another colleague.

Let me summarize, how did he achieved the utopia of teamwork 

Teams don’t appear automatically when a group of people are put together. A sad fact of human nature is that if a group of people is put together without the influence of skilled leadership, it is almost inevitable that conflicts will emerge.

If you are sitting in an ivory tower, 

please get closer to the action. No one ever led a successful team from behind a permanently closed door.

How did our shrewd manager get closer to the action? 

He created a team within a team and worked tirelessly to maintain it. 

He used the following measures to maintain his team: 

Objectives: He set objectives for each member of his team in a methodical way. Working towards the objectives was a proactive approach rather than a reactive state of affairs.

Set standards: He agreed with standards and methods with his people to predictable norms. The individuals were not left to decide the level of their quality of work; hence there were no ambiguities and it resulted in consistency.

Openness and Candor: 

he developed an environment where people could be open and frank. He led them by example and allowed them to ask questions and bring their grievances to the table. But he managed the process with certain rules so that it did not take the form of belligerence.

Reward: He encouraged trust and rewarded cooperation by public recognition of their achievements.

Reviews and Briefings: 

By conducting regular reviews, he kept the team on track. He pointed out deviations and suggested remedial actions. 

Hey folks, why don’t you try some of these techniques?  

Start measuring your success by applying some of the principles mentioned. There is much more to cover, but I will keep it for some other forum.

If you are soon met with beaming and smiling people  

who are unstrained in your presence and talk to you candidly, then you are showing signs of effective team building, or shall I say, effective leadership. 

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