Team Management to Achieve Success

People who act as a group can achieve things no individual alone could even dream of achieving. — Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The culture we live in shapes business and work values, and brings great responsibility to education institutions, HR departments and leaders.

In an age when knowledge, time, quality and people matter, reaching a shared goal is like the relationship between seed and soil. The better the seed, the better the timing and watering, the better the harvest. For a quality outcome — a shared purpose — we must bring the right factors together, sustain commitment and motivation, and support with feedback.

A team is a group of people dedicated to common goals, who trust one another while doing their work and who deliver high quality.

At the foundation of team success lie trust, openness and honesty, and collaboration. As J. W. Atkinson said, Success comes with WE, not with I; because it is the product of many minds and hands. Where success is present, teamwork must not be ignored. Building a we consciousness requires:

A shared value system that members accept without constant challenge, and leaders who model behaviour aligned with those values;

An environment that develops the team ability to work in harmony;

Fair performance evaluation, and rewarding energetic and synergistic performance.

Giant California redwoods are among the largest and tallest trees on Earth — some nearly 100 metres tall and 2,500 years old. Contrary to what one might think, their roots are relatively short and not deep. What makes them so large and long-lived is their intertwined branches, supporting one another so well that they have withstood the fiercest storms for thousands of years.

Unity within the team is the key to success. That is how people move toward a common purpose and obtain quality service or product.

Choosing the people who will form the team is as important as building a we consciousness. A member who combines intelligence, professional knowledge and skills with interpersonal competence opens wider horizons. A synergy-minded team should bring together people who:

Focus on solutions and results, value usefulness, and are creative;

Listen well, give others time to express themselves, and respect other views;

Find and express others positive traits and emphasise what is true.

As Anne Donnellon said, New team members bring not only needed skills but also scepticism. Bringing complementary skills together builds commitment and triggers success.

The leader influence on team success is great. Leaders must set an example and take the first step, mentor the team, support performance, mediate disagreements, focus on solutions rather than problems, and protect a climate of trust.

Competitors can copy your products, systems, structure and strategy — but they cannot copy the trust climate and the performance of your people. — S. Covey

Team success comes from moving toward a shared purpose. The leader must communicate the purpose clearly and keep everyone synchronised. Knowing the team characteristics from the start, the leader should anticipate disagreements and plan coordination and communication accordingly.

Success comes with a leader whose presence brings energy — who lights the way inside and ahead, overcomes setbacks with unity, and keeps reality and truth at the centre. As R. Reagan said, a true leader is not necessarily someone who achieves great things, but someone who enables people to achieve great things.

The team leader should also communicate progress to senior management — informing leadership and raising motivation — acting as a bridge with appropriate language.

Win together, lose together, play together, stay together. — D. Mancuso