Traits Of An Effective Team

There are two essential elements when thinking about team building. One is if you're leading a team, the other is if you're part of one. Many people don't think about teamwork enough - if they're not a manager, they think it doesn't apply to them all that much. Yet most people would like to define themselves as a "good team player": a desirable trait in any business.

Working in a group of people is what we're usually doing in our job. Even if you're self employed (an accountant, let's say) - you still have clients, Companies House, and the business that provides all your stationary to deal with! Other professional skills such as influencing skills, listening skills, negotiation and delegation all have their own dynamics within a team environment.

You can't just throw people together and expect them to work well as a team. Different individuals bring different skillsets to the table, and have their own strengths and weaknesses. Working effectively as a team member, and also managing a team well (if that's your role) are essential to a smooth-running business and a happier professional life. A good team should be out to do a job much better than any individual could on their own.

How should a good team work and how do you build one? Very often we don't get to pick the individuals who will form our team - to balance out complementing strengths and weaknesses - we have to work with our existing colleagues, or employees. If you're a project manager, you may well be in the fortunate position of hiring people to your own specification of a team, but that's rare.

The first and most consistent element you must have in a team is sharing the same goals and targets. If you are all on the same page with regards to what you have set out to achieve, it's easier to focus and direct those who aren't. With one clear way forward for everyone, this will alleviate any potential power struggles or disagreements in a diverse group. If everyone is committed to the same outcome, trust and positive attitude prevail much longer than if one or two people go off on their own tangents (have you ever had this happen to you where someone thinks they know better than everyone else in the team? Difficult, isn't it?).

Regular meetings are a must if you want to keep a team happy and on track. It's better to have team members work through problems and solutions together instead of always addressing the team leader or waiting, (or seething, silently!) until they are unhappy enough to bring up a topic in front of individual members. Regular meetings will boost morale and provide a platform to voice concerns openly and with less conflict. This is tied in with another important factor when working in teams - good communication is a must, otherwise the equilibrium of a good, hard working team will be disturbed by misunderstandings and worse, disagreements. To improve the camaraderie and gelling of the group, regular meetings could be held over a sociable lunch, or even after work in the pub - providing you can all remain in "work mode"!

Finally, if you're the team leader - remember that you're part of the team, too. You must manage your time effectively to achieve the balance of spending time managing the team, yet still doing the role you are assigned. A good team leader will inspire and motivate others, even when things are tough. If you're a team member, doing your best and achieving will bolster the performance as a whole - good team players always stick in the mind of an employer, and good teamwork is often a way forward to becoming a project manager yourself - and who would argue with such an easy, rewarding route of promotion? Not you, so go out, be a team and see how much you can achieve in a short time!