Leadership and TeamworkLearn Management Articles on management-info.biz. Leadership and Teamwork article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
The leader is not threatened in the least by the expertise and diversity of his or her team. Rather, a good team leader engages his or her teammates in a discussion about what quality looks like, what is needed to perform and complete the job, and empowers the team members to always strive for quality improvement. Let's break all that down into its component parts. The first is a clearly defined leader. I believe every team must have a leader. There must be someone who is in charge and makes the ultimate decisions. Team members may take turns being the leader as long as everyone is clear who the leader is on any given day. Another variation of that theme is to have certain people be the leader for projects that are in their area of expertise. However, in every event, there can be no question among teammates who is the leader for that day or project. The leader needs to have a vision. This is similar to Covey's second habit, 'Begin with the end in mind.' A true leader creates the end product twice---once mentality and then in its actual form. It is impossible to lead toward a fuzzy vision. People are simply not inspired to follow uncertainty. Having the vision is not enough to inspire teammates to strive toward the same goal. A good team leader knows how to help each teammate see how the end product or service will be useful and what, exactly, their individual contribution is toward that end. How does the janitor contribute to fans' enjoyment at a professional baseball game? By providing a clean, neat bathroom experience---that's how. If the janitor sees himself as a critical cog in the big picture goal and he receives positive recognition for it, then he is more likely to perform his job with enthusiasm. Another component of being able to inspire one's teammates is having a clearly defined mission that everyone, preferably, has had a part in developing, but if not, then at least team members can agree to the previously established team mission. This becomes important in times of conflict between team members. When there is a dispute to be solved, it is helpful to have an already established way to measure the solution. Solutions are always held up against the mission and whether or not it will move the team closer or further from the ultimate goal. The other advantage of having a mission that has been agreed upon by all team members is that it can enhance cooperation. One of the most difficult things to manage on a team is an individual ego. There can be petty jealousies and a competitive spirit that can kill the cooperation of the best team. The mission statement is a way to minimize this potential for disaster. The mission remains the focus that everything else is compared to. An individual's action is either helpful or hurtful to the mission and dealt with accordingly. The group's goal must always be placed above any individual's desires or ego. Jealousy and backstabbing have no useful place on a team. A good leader is in no way threatened by the expertise and diversity of his or her team. The best leaders are always seeking information from the front line people who are doing the actual work. Without information from team members, the leader's hands are tied behind his or her back. It is also critical to use team members in their areas of expertise. Leaders can't know everything about everything. There will be team members who have skills and abilities that surpass those of the leader in certain areas. A good leader will ask for help when it is prudent. This is also a time to value diversity. Having a team made up of people who all do the same jobs in pretty much the same way really has no value. One person could more easily do the job than assembling a homogenous team. The value of a team comes from its heterogeneity. Getting feedback and suggestions from people who do things differently is what will spark the creativity and the genius of the team. This is what masterminding is all about. Tap into the wealth that is already there. Finally, a good leader holds the bar high. He or she does not ask his team to be average or mediocre. Average and mediocre can be easily replaced. The leader asks his or her team to collectively do their very best and when they are done, the leader asks them to always strive for continuous improvement. The work is never done. The team should always be evaluating what has been implemented and be comfortable making suggestions for ways to do it even better. Previously, I mentioned that a good leader empowers his or her teammates. Creating a need-satisfying environment does this. Team members must get along and know that the leader and the company have their best interests at heart. They must feel important, listened to and respected. They must have the freedom to make choices within the context of their assignments and they must have some fun in their work. It is also critical for team members to feel safe. This means that they are not fearful in any way. The team leader is critical in fostering this environment for the empowerment of the entire team.
If you are interested in training your employees in the area of teamwork, contact Kim at 708-957-6047, email at kim@coachingforexcellence.biz or visit the website at www.coachingforexcellence.biz
(c) SOTSU, SUNRISE Namco Bandai Games released an automotive navigation system featuring a popular anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam, as an iPhone application on July 29 2011. The product is called Gundam Navi. Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 |
More Articles:1. Try It Out On Your Team First By Larry Galler Wow! You’re brilliant! You have a great idea. You’ve looked at it every possible way to find holes in your logic, fallacies in your assumptions. You know it will work and you can’t wait to turn your new brainstorm loose then reap the rewards of your genius. I know you’re excited but before you unleash your great idea, first try it out on those around you for analysis, discussion, improvements, and (gasp!) criticism.The problem is that the creator of an idea rarely has the mental disciplin… Vitamins for Memory 2. Innovation Management – The Need For Knowledge Managers By Kal Bishop Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development … 3. Take The Guesswork Out Of Problem Solving By Davis Goss In today’s chaotic world and uncertain economic times too many good people are burdened by too many problems that seem insurmountable and too many businesses find it increasingly difficult to compete effectively. The old traditional methods of finding solutions to these problems don’t seem to work like they used to. In fact, the world seems more burdened today with more complex problems than at any time in history. What the world needs is a brand new, reliable approach that DOES work.I thin… 4. People Literacy By Susan Cullen Every Manager has experienced the frustration of not understanding why one management approach that works beautifully with one employee is ineffective with another. That’s because what we think would be motivating isn’t always motivating to someone else.The same principle applies to client and co-worker relationships. We “click” or connect with some individuals and understand each other. But we also work with individuals who approach things differently. Research shows there are four differ… |
||||
