How do you define a “winning team”?
Competing for the drum section leader position of my high school band taught me lessons about life that still hold true in my career today. Winning is less about what we win and more about how we got the win, especially our treatment of competitors. Similarly, a winning team works together effectively in a positive, encouraging and confidence-building process.
That’s why successful leaders establish a team mindset: a winning team is a unified team. When people are engaged in teamwork they contribute, energize each other and generate their own energy. Communication is critical.
Communication is Critical
As a leader, it’s critical that you provide people with the information that concerns them: company operations, issues and activities. This helps them know where they stand and where they may be headed.
Communicating goals and progress inspires people to use their talents and discover capabilities they didn’t even realize they had. And of course, as I urge my coaching clients, place people in roles that make the most of their gifts.
Inspire positivity and innovation. Ask challenging questions, provoke opportunities, and put your people to the test. Give them a chance to learn through mentorships, training and workshops. When people are invested in their contributions, they become emissaries of influence. They sense they’ve found a home and work hard to protect, improve and tout it.
Walk the Talk
Leaders need to set the example and model desired behaviors. This takes patience and practice. Learn to avoid trust-damaging conduct and policies. Trust is a critical component of effective teamwork. Leaders must earn it through authentic, dependable behavior. When trusting people are, in turn, trusted, morale and positivity soar. Employees ultimately feel better about themselves, suffer fewer frustrations, and feel better physically, emotionally and socially. Attitudes and work ethic improve. The big-picture impact is enormous.
Establish multidisciplinary problem-solving teams to break down traditional silos, urge Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia in Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family (Portfolio, 2015). Ask employees for feedback, ideas and solutions. Invite them to evaluate best options, formulate plans to implement fixes and participate in follow-up activities to continue improvement efforts. There’s no better way to obtain people’s buy-in and promote unity.
Leaders who see the long view take time to develop their people and create unity through teamwork. What do you think? How do you define a winning team? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060, let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here or on LinkedIn.
