Team Development

One of the biggest challenges for leaders is to develop strong teams where 2+2=5 or 7 or more; in other words how do you maximise the power of team. Two Clydesdale horses can pull a load of 20 tons; four can pull a load of 50 tons. The power of six can pull 100 tons. How can we get this impact with teams?

A team is bigger and better than the sum of its parts. John Adair developed Action Centred Leadership based on three aspects of team leadership.

The three critical areas are:

• achieve the task
• manage the team
• manage the individual

There are many different types of teams –so when forming a team consider the appropriate type for the situation.

Be aware of the four different stages of team formation and manage the team through them to success. These stages are

• the forming stage
• the storming stage
• the norming stage
• the performing stage

Formula for Teambuilding

The GRIP teambuilding formula gives a simple straightforward system to build teams as follows:

• Goals: all teams must have clear mission, vision, goals, objectives and specific tasks. So get goal clarity
• Role Definition: Putting the right people on the bus and in the right places (as Jim Collins in his book Good to Great states) is critical for team success
• Interpersonal Trust: strong, positive, honest interpersonal relationships are essential to every team
• Procedures and Standards: consistent clearly defined procedures, measures and controls serve as the glue to hold everything together.

‘What gets measured gets done’