Teams trained by team members

Website design By BotEap.comMarch Madness has been ruling television everywhere; people are talking about their parentheses, which has provided a little break from talking about the economy, the financial industry, and the auto industry. I was watching an interview with Michigan State University men’s basketball coach Izzo, he talked about how one of his players, in the middle of the game, suggested a change in strategy that would give them a strategic advantage to win the game. ; not just any game, but a critical game that put MSU in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. Coach Izzo said: “A team led by a player is better than a team led by a coach.” Then he added: “When you have a team run by players, you listen to it.”

Website design By BotEap.comAs is often the case, that statement made me think broadly about teams. In life, I am a member of a team in a variety of teams: my family, my tennis team, my volleyball team, I am in a team with my friends, with my clients, with associations, etc. all “team members” from any variety of groups, associations, work teams, families, etc. In the variety of teams we are associated with, are we on player-led teams or coach-led teams?
 
Some people don’t buy into the concept that teams are teams outside of a sports setting; so i decided to look up some team definitions. Here is a sample of what I found:

• a cooperative unit (wordnet.Princeton.edu)
• an understood team of a group of people or animals linked with a common purpose (Wikipedia.com)
• A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and focus for which they are mutually accountable (Katzenbach and Smith, 1993).

Website design By BotEap.com Work teams

Several years ago, I led a team working on a cost reduction project. I was the least experienced person on the team, so it was a real honor for me to be the leader of that team. It was a great experience and it really taught me a lot about how teams can achieve tremendous results. Our rapid and tremendous results included more than $ 260 million in cost savings. The team knew that I had the most knowledge and experience in cost reduction projects, so they appointed me to lead the team. He knew that as much as he knew, collectively, we as a team knew more. I constantly sought their input, their views, and at times needed other people to take on the leadership role. It was that little bit of “humility” that allowed us to grow as a team and propelled us not only to achieve our initial goals, but to go far beyond even our own expectations.

 

Leaders: As a team leader, whatever your title, you have certain roles that you must play. It is your responsibility to provide the team with a clear vision. It is your responsibility to clearly communicate goals and expectations. It is your responsibility to create an environment geared towards trust, open communication, creative thinking, and cohesive teamwork. Leaders are also responsible for developing, training, and mentoring team members.

 

Leaders, how are you leading? At the appropriate times, do you abandon your leadership role to allow your teams to be led or team-led? Do you encourage two-way communication to ensure that goals and expectations are clearly understood? Do you value knowledge, experience and expertise within your team? Do you have a humble element in your leadership? Are you able and willing to let your team lead something while following you? Are you listening to your team like Coach Izzo did to gain a strategic advantage to win a critical game?

 

Team Members: As team members, you also have certain roles to play. It must be committed to the purpose and vision of the organization. Team members must establish a good relationship and trust with each other. Team members must share knowledge and experience. Team members should be able to ask questions and have open communication.

 

As team members, are you asking questions? Do you let your knowledge and experience shine? Are you committed to the purpose and vision of the team? Are you supporting the leadership with suggestions to improve effectiveness or sharing new ideas to achieve the team’s goals? Are you ready and willing to take on a leadership role?

 

Family teams

Families are teams too; Each family member brings skills, personality, and roles to the family just as team members and players do in sports teams and organizations. Families have an identity that makes them unique in design and purpose. Family identity is important for the family team to achieve its goals and fulfill its purpose. As family leaders, do you hold your team accountable for their actions? As a parent, are you and your children working toward the same goals?

 

Challenge trainers

Teams and team leaders need to align to achieve the team’s goals, live the vision, and achieve its purpose. Identify all the teams with which you actively participate; then work on the following questions:

• Does the team have a clear goal, vision, or purpose? If so, does each team member understand the goal, vision, and purpose? If not, work together to establish the team’s goals, vision, and purpose.
• How is teamwork recognized and / or rewarded?
• Is there open and honest two-way communication between the team and the team leader?
• Does everyone on the team understand the strengths and weaknesses of each team member? How are you using and developing those strengths?
• Does each team have a balance between leader-led and team-led teams?