To Be THAT LEADER... Cultivate Teamwork.

Have you ever wondered why, in military trainings, do they include
"marching" and similar drills? After all, what's the use of
synchronized marching in "war", or even in "community service."

Teamwork. Team Works!

And as the saying goes, "two heads are better than one."

This could just either be between or within cubicles, or amongst
group mates resulting in greater productivity and job satisfaction.

Blogs ago, I posted an entry entitled "The Valued Team Builder..."
and there I discussed, well, team building. For this posting, the
fourth part of this series "To Be THAT LEADER...", we shall delve
into important issues concerning a team; and how we should be
addressing those issues.

But before proceeding, as a reminder, in order for a group of people
to attain their maximum potential as a team, the following conditions
must be met:

COMMON GOAL. To proceed without a reasonable objective is
obviously a waste of time, money, and effort. See, when people
has that "meeting of the minds", they agree to a common goal
then goes for it... and with persistence comes success.

"Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children
of your soul; the blue-prints of your ultimate achievement."
~ THE LAW OF SUCCESS

MUTUAL TRUST. Trust is born out of goodwill, out of sincerity,
out of concern. The key, then, would be Communication.
Through open and sincere discussions to sort out facts, feelings,
assumptions, and expectations -- "fear or worry" would soon be
replaced by Trust.

Have you ever thought of why some bird species fly in "V" formation?

This is like "as if" we know that "that" someone will catch us when
we fall. So, we have to positively build on that Trust. But first, we
should learn how to be and express sincerity.

Understand the heart before taking the hand.

TEAM SYSTEM. We are talking of people here, so, this means
each member must have a thorough understanding and acceptance
of the system of rewards, discipline, and work sharing. This system
must be clearly articulated and embraced by upper management.

Remember this is a t*e*a*m we are building and maintaining; and
therefore, we need people who are enthusiastic to be part of the
group to be capable of contributing positively.

"Instead of the question 'what must I do for my employer?'
substitute 'what can I do?'" - Andrew Carnegie

Now, after meeting these conditions and assuming a team already
exists... Leaders have to cultivate teamwork by addressing
perennial issues.

ROLES. This includes responsibilities, accountability, and
authority among others. In office settings, the effects and
significance of roles are not as distinctly seen and appreciated
compared to a "team in action" -- like a sports team or a ship
and it's crews.

Can you imagine if every crew member were engineers, then who
would be in-charge of navigation? Of food, maintenance, etc.?

Realize that staffing is vital but more so is the recognition of
abilities; hence, delegation, empowerment, and the degree of
autonomy would prove crucial in team productivity.

And since we are operating as a team, issues of control and
duties could still surface. It is, therefore, key for the group leader
to see to it that the work environment (and as perceived by team
members) is fair, reasonable, and friendly.

"Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when
your position falls, your ego goes with it." - Colin Powell

And this, as many may have overlooked, is done by building on
trust for cooperation.

DECISION-MAKING. Obviously, the one who could better solve
problems should be given weight. However, "insensitively" doing
so could diffuse team morale and enthusiasm; hence, Leaders
need to optimize the problem-solving and decision-making of
their groups to meet challenges and sustain that competitive
advantage.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible,
but not simpler." - Albert Einstein

As we know, there are several tools to arrive at the best decision,
now it's simply a matter of knowing how to choose the problem
solving approach to fit a given situation. Then again, understand
that the decision-making process and responsibilities should be
made clear from the start to progressively move forward.

TEAM BEHAVIOUR. Forming and maintaining a team takes
more than just organizational skills, it takes good "people skills."
And any undertaking that involves people, requires patience,
sensitivity, and care. (see 04.09.08 blog)

"Leadership is not manifested by coercion, even against the
resented. Greatness is not manifested by unlimited pragmatism
which places such high premium on the end justifying any
means and any measures." - Margaret Chase Smith

Since a team is normally made up with a diversity of people,
of different cultures and perspectives, there is sometimes a
problem in communication that can lead to misinterpretation.
Language barriers can be difficult to overcome unless you take
genuine interest to understand.

Stereotyping and Discrimination then could also pop up in a
team setting; but more than "communication" problems, this is
more of that "superiority" complex. And this could be because
of expertise, status or actually "cultural" in nature among others.

"You may, if you like, cut us into pieces. You may shatter us at
the canon's mouth. If you act contrary to our will, we shall not help
you and without our help, we know that you can not move one
step forward. It is likely that you will laugh at all this in the
intoxication of your power." - Mahatma Gandhi

Stereotyping and Discrimination are the poison to unity...
the venom that would slowly drag the team to oblivion.
Face 'em with a clear mind, an open heart, resolvent eyes,
empathic ears, gentle voice, honorable tongue, and firm action.
Stop the vicious disease... and you cut discord into pieces.

"There are no 'white' or 'colored' signs on the foxholes or
graveyards of battle." - JFK

These complications could then result into low morale, a shaky
loyalty, non-participation, low productivity, negativity, resistance,
and conflicts. Thus, occasional discipline may be needed for
the misconduct of team members on their job. This would be in
the form of an agreed-upon process that the team encourages to
handle before management becomes involved. (see 01.20.09 blog)

"Let us never negotiate out of fear, but
let us never fear to negotiate." - John F. Kennedy

On the other hand, what if Leaders and members become
"friends"? How would this affect the corporate culture, the
objectives?

Well, ok, we have heard of greater productivity and job satisfaction
in such alliances; however, there are caveats to it such as gradual
decrease in productivity, conflict of interest, biases, and questions
on accountability to name a few.

Yes, everybody is a friend; but everybody should be "professional"
enough to understand that "work is work" and that we have to
constantly watch that line to maintain respect and professionalism yet
with a friendly business environment towards the accomplishment of
objectives. In this case, Leaders should strike a balance between
closeness and distance without sacrificing friendship.

There is a time and place for everything.

Consider developing a good sense of humor. It would show to be
invaluable for relieving tension in the group or individual, or, for that
matter, in the Leader himself... as it is closely related to a sense of
proportion, a useful asset in anything involving people.

Accordingly, with a strong and empathic team leadership...
goals could be monitored and met; and consequently, rewards
would be in order to sustain that "edge" as shown in increased
productivity, loyalty, motivation, and better customer service.

Can you "win" alone?
Then why do you do business or, seek or continue employment?
Or even engage with people? Realize that "team" is spelled with
an "E", not with an "I."

"No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself,
or to get all the credit for doing it." - Andrew Carnegie

Remember...
To Cultivate Teamwork... foster Trust and Open communication.