Public
Activity Feed Discussions Blogs Bookmarks Files

The Challenge of Teambuilding

There are many challenges that can impeed team progress.
One such challenge is that of groupthink. It is imperative that any tam leader indentifiy and take any precautionary actions to avoid this condition in the group.
Another challenge is the lack of leadership. A good leader is necessary in order to guide the team in a productive manner, and keep them striving toward achieving a common goal.
Open discussion of issues is also imporant. This will not only bring all major issues to the floor, but will also make each team feel like a valuable part of the team when their thoughts and opinions are being valued and listened to by each member.

Hi Breandan,
Sorry for the delay in response, but I am now up and running. Excellent points. You are right on.

A strong leader, through clear, concise and consistent communication, will make sure the team understands the "why" as well as the "where." Once the team knows where they are going and why they are going there, the leader then must be decisive and continue to remind the team of the goal or objective, while constantly painting a vision for the team.

Once the objective is clear, then open and consistent communication with each team member is critical, as you have pointed out.

It is also critical that every team member is on board and believes in the objective.

Having a group of people that have different communication styles and varying levels of responsibility can be challenging. As a leader you must set expectations on level of participation, what should be communicated and when, as well as openly discussing the input needed from each member. With expectations clearly outlined, everyone will know what to expect. The leader must also ensure that the team doesn't loose sight of these differences as the project progresses.

Hi Wendi,

Great comments. As a leader you may also have to change your communication style with the same individual, depending on where he or she is within the employee life-cycle.

You will have to DIRECT a new team member or an established team member involved in a new task. You then modify your style and begin to COACH as the team member becomes more comfortable with the task.

Once the team member becomes more established you will provide SUPPORT when needed and, eventually, you will DELEGATE the full task to your peak performers or "A" players.

In being a strong leader it seems to me that keeping team members focused on the team objective. What are your suggestions in keeping focused in order to keep the team focused?

Thanks,
Josh

The most common challenges I have experienced have been keeping certain members focused on the teams mission / tasks at hand. As well as getting certain members to take ownership of the tasks they either were assigned or volunteered for.

Hi Scott,

Sorry for the delayed response. Your challenges are commmon. Keep your team members focused on the objective by measuring the leading indicators on a regular basis. For example, measure lead to enroll conversions (a leading indicator) rather than lead to start (a lagging indicator).

You should also recognize and reward strong performance on a regular basis throughout the year.

Try to avoid asking for volunteers, if possible. The A players will always step up, allowing the C players to avoid their fair share of the workload.

Communication within the team has been a challenge. As a team leader I have tried several approaches and do not want to micro manage the team, but would like them to communicate better amongst themselves. A key member of the team does not communicate well with others outside of meetings, leaving them in the dark on many things. I will examine my leadership skills and look for other avenues of approach and ensure a proper balance of empowering and bossing. Ensuring my team understands their roles and responsibilities should also be communicated again, sometimes we lose sight of goals of the team and need reminders.

Michael,

Developing a culture of clear, concise and consistent communication is probably the most common challenge among leaders, and also one of the keys to producing desired results.

If you provide me with more details, I may be able to give you some specific advice or management techniques to help bring your team onto the same page. It's possible the key member that is not communicating may have to go, if they are not producing outstanding individual results.

Thanks Greg, I will begin immediately as i have a couple of projects upcoming with my team and will look forward to implementing some new strategies.

One of the things that I have experienced is the team does not seem to want to work together if everyone does not agree on how a project should be approached. The ones that buy into the direction are contributing to the project while the others are half heartily participating and spend more time talking how this is the wrong way they had the right idea. It is tough to clear the air and get everyone working again. Especially those who do not like the direct the work is going.

In my position I frequently run into strong personalities wanting to express their opinions. It is difficult to try and keep them on task, especially when their ideas are relevant to the discussion. That said, I find that some of these same people are thinking about what their response is going to be versus actively listening to someone's ideas. Passionate individuals can be a sensitive area because if they feel slighted, they will easily withdraw from further participation so I feel that it is my duty to find ways to keep them motivated and not kill their spirits.

Hi Jeff,

Great points. Almost all peak performers have strong personalities. It sounds like you understand this and are able to leverage this passion in most cases.

It is critical to balance a strong leadership presence within a collaborative environment. Everyone must feel like they have a "say" but understand they do not all have a "vote."

At the end of the day, after listening to all points of view, the decision-making rests in your lap. Understanding this will help keep the team engaged and motivated, and perhaps more willing to move on after a decision is made.

I have been on teams where other members could not understand why someone elses job was considered to be important. When a team member thinks that their job is the most important position to the company it can cause desention in the ranks. It takes proper management to work with strong personalities such as this.Everyones position must be viewed as important inorder to build a strong foundation.

One of the most common challenges that I would identify would be the lack of the management team to identify and capitalize on the culture of the environment of the organization. I have worked in structured and unstructured team environments successfully, but it was the input of the management and their appreciation of the culture of the team that nurtured the progress and subsequent success of the team. In certain cases when the management attempted to force their concept of the desired culture of the organization upon the team, the outcome was not nearly as successful and productive.

Kind Regards,
Lee

Hi Andrea,

I can appreciate your points. I believe management should have stepped in and clearly and explicitedly reviewed the importance of all positions within the process. That would eliminate potential in fighting and hopefully create a sense of team and how each relies on each other.

Kind Regards,
Lee

A couple challenges that can impede team progress are a leader who does not give responsibility to employees and who is not creating an environment where ideas are openly accepted. This can cause employees to be reserved and not express opinions which would otherwise be valuable.

I have found that it is tough to keep all of the team on task as we do something. Everyone has a life and are busy so that plays a hardship too. Schedules, in itself are tough to be able to work around.

Hi Issac,

You may want to consider some budgeting and reporting. A few simple weekly and monthly reports will help the team stay on task and act as a constant reminder to help them prioritize, regardless of scheduling conflicts and other busy, day-to-day activities.

Best,

Greg

Hi Krista,

I agree with your comments. When a team leader does not delegate responsibility, problems arise, particularly as the landscape of oversight grows.

Although strong team members usually want their progress tracked and noticed, they must be included, at some level, in strategic discussions and be given reasonable decision-making authority within their area of expertise.

Best,

Greg

Sign In to comment