Here are a few final tips to ensure a strong foundation for your team.

Identify and communicate your role on the team.

Objective: To clearly convey to the team your role and expectations as team leader.

Since you intend to lead the team, make sure that team members know that and that they understand how far your authority will extend. Will you be the team facilitator, encouraging effective decision-making and offering advice on how to achieve the team goal? Will you be the team manager, providing direction and making final decisions when the team is deadlocked or unsure of how to proceed? Whatever role you choose, the important point is to convey it honestly to the team.

Discuss with the team members how to achieve the goal.

Objective: To develop a team process to meet the goal in a timely fashion.

The team's first action should involve exploring how they will achieve the goal. By sharing information and ideas, the team begins to work together and trust each other. Encourage exploration of a plan for the team. Identify who is responsible for each step, the deadline involved, and who has ultimate accountability for achieving each identified action.

Put everything agreed to in writing.

Objective: To provide a reference document demonstrating team consensus on critical team activities.

You have identified the team goal, individual roles, responsibilities, and accountability, and the process for achieving the goal. Now, put it in writing and have every team member sign it. Think of it as your team's Declaration of Intent and celebrate it as a milestone in the completion of the entire task.

Live the charter.

Objective: To achieve the team goal without destroying the team in the process.

The charter is the living "will" of the team to succeed. It should play an active role in every team event and be referenced and adhered to when team focus strays from the task or disputes and challenges threaten to derail the process.

If these ten steps seem like a lot of work, you're right. They are, but that's nothing compared to the work involved in trying to bring a fractious, confused, ineffective team back on track when the rails were never laid to begin with.

Previous issues of this newsletter suggested six tips for managers who want to lead effective teams. Click here to access part 1 and here to access part 2.

2003 - 2004 Copyright Marian Schickling. Printed with Permission.

About the Author
Marian Schickling is a freelance instructional designer/developer and writer with over 20 years' experience. Her articles have appeared in Communication Briefings, The Professional Skier, AAA Going Places, and the Sunshine Press. She has also collaborated on numerous American Society for Training and Development Info-Lines and ghostwritten a book entitled "Identifying Targeted Training Needs." Marian can be emailed at Mschicklin@aol.com.

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