Five Steps for Building Great Teams
http://www.setthestageforsuccess.com/articles/16169/1/Five-Steps-for-Building-Great-Teams/Page1.html
Anthony Vultaggio
Anthony Vultaggio leads the New Thought Revolution Saturdays at 9PM Pacific on KRLA 870AM. He’s the author of, “Who Said That And Why Should You Care?” which will be available in September of 2008 and is a sought-after motivational speaker.By Anthony Vultaggio
Published on 08/19/2008
Your
kindergarten teacher taught you to play in the sandbox. Your football
coach assigned you a buddy during drills. Your boss preached about it
at the last sales meeting. It's teamwork. It's the synergistic magic
that happens when all parts come together to create something that is
greater than their sum. Now it's your turn to create it. But how?
Choosing the right people for a project is the key to success. Apply
these 5 steps and you'll create teams that get the job done right!
Your
kindergarten teacher taught you to play in the sandbox. Your football
coach assigned you a buddy during drills. Your boss preached about it
at the last sales meeting. It's teamwork. It's the synergistic magic
that happens when all parts come together to create something that is
greater than their sum. Now it's your turn to create it. But how?
Choosing the right people for a project is the key to success. Apply
these 5 steps and you'll create teams that get the job done right!
Step 2. Assess needs. Review the needs map and list the specific backgrounds and skills that are required to meet those needs. Contrast those needs with the skills of your available resources and evaluate who can and will get the job done. This is not a place to cut corners. Review the needs of the project from A to Z and select team members that meet all of the project requirements.
Step 3. Select a leader based on leadership qualities, not tenure or technical knowledge. The team leader will manage the personalities, goals, milestones and more. Selecting based on the wrong criteria is a major mistake and one that should be avoided at all costs. Choose a leader with an ability to understand the project scope and subject matter. Make sure that they have demonstrated leadership skills, and the ability to multi-task and keep the project on schedule.
Step 4. Fill gaps. Rocky Balboa said it best when speaking about his marriage to Adrienne, "I got gaps, she's got gaps, together we fill gaps." If your existing employee pool has skill gaps for your project fill them with qualified personnel. Temporary agencies and consultants are a great way to fill key gaps if you're not looking to hire additional full-time staff.
Step 1. Evaluate the project scope. Each and every project is different. To
succeed your team needs to have the skills and capabilities that
support the overarching goals of your project. While you may be tempted
to use the same people you've relied on in the past, the reality is
that it may not be the most efficient use of their individual and
collective skills. Create a needs map to make sure that you don't
overlook any critical areas.
Step 2. Assess needs. Review the needs map and list the specific backgrounds and skills that are required to meet those needs. Contrast those needs with the skills of your available resources and evaluate who can and will get the job done. This is not a place to cut corners. Review the needs of the project from A to Z and select team members that meet all of the project requirements.
Step 3. Select a leader based on leadership qualities, not tenure or technical knowledge. The team leader will manage the personalities, goals, milestones and more. Selecting based on the wrong criteria is a major mistake and one that should be avoided at all costs. Choose a leader with an ability to understand the project scope and subject matter. Make sure that they have demonstrated leadership skills, and the ability to multi-task and keep the project on schedule.
Step 4. Fill gaps. Rocky Balboa said it best when speaking about his marriage to Adrienne, "I got gaps, she's got gaps, together we fill gaps." If your existing employee pool has skill gaps for your project fill them with qualified personnel. Temporary agencies and consultants are a great way to fill key gaps if you're not looking to hire additional full-time staff.
Step 5. Assess team progress and adjust as needed. All great recipes suggest
that you "add salt to taste." This is done in consideration of the
subtleties that make each of us different. In your drive to create a
great team be sure to take the lid off periodically and see how the
project is progressing. If you need more of this and less of that don't
be afraid to move things around. Stagnant water stinks and tired teams
don't perform. As project scope and personnel changes occur, adjust.
The results will be worth the effort.