Most
of us at some point in our lives watch a team sport. It might be only
once every four years during the olympics or your might be an avid fan,
whether it be football, athletics, hockey or motor sport. For me, it's
Formula1 and with the start of the new season only 2 weeks away, it got
me thinking as to what makes a winning team. The answer is of course
complex and involves lots of different things, a key one of which is
leadership. For me, however there are 3 key elements to building a
winning team:
Knowledge
Your team need to have the knowledge to do their job. This applies both as individuals and as a team. Each individual needs to know what their role is and to have the knowledge and skills to do that role. Take the example of mechanics in motor sport. Each mechanic has to be able to work at the top of their game whether that be re-building the engine or changing a wheel. They also need to know what everyone else does and rely on others to complete their tasks. This means trusting everyone in your team.
Trust
In my view creating and mourishing mutual trust begins with honesty. If as leaders we display honesty in the way we deal with and talk to the people that we lead, then we set the tone within the area of the organisation that we have direct responsibility for. From experience, this then encourages your team members to be honest in return and builds mutual trust within the team.
Then the challenge, unless you are the CEO of course, is to influence upwards and set the tone and expectations of how you operate and therefore how you expect to be treated. Given time and work on relationship building, if you are honest with your managers, most people will accord you with the respect that you clearly should be accorded, which will ultimately create and nourish mutual trust.
Communication
Communication underpins everything within a winning team. For your team to have the knowledge to do their job, they have to learn. Learning, whether it is formal or informal on-the-job training requires communication. Trust is built up over time and through experience that someone does what they say they will do. Communication is a fine art, and a post in itself, but is crucial in building a winning team. Great communication will help develop your team and build their knowledge. It will also help you build trust which in turn improves performance. Poor communication on the other hand will destroy everything that you have been working for and can turn a winning team into a losing one.
Knowledge
Your team need to have the knowledge to do their job. This applies both as individuals and as a team. Each individual needs to know what their role is and to have the knowledge and skills to do that role. Take the example of mechanics in motor sport. Each mechanic has to be able to work at the top of their game whether that be re-building the engine or changing a wheel. They also need to know what everyone else does and rely on others to complete their tasks. This means trusting everyone in your team.
Trust
In my view creating and mourishing mutual trust begins with honesty. If as leaders we display honesty in the way we deal with and talk to the people that we lead, then we set the tone within the area of the organisation that we have direct responsibility for. From experience, this then encourages your team members to be honest in return and builds mutual trust within the team.
Then the challenge, unless you are the CEO of course, is to influence upwards and set the tone and expectations of how you operate and therefore how you expect to be treated. Given time and work on relationship building, if you are honest with your managers, most people will accord you with the respect that you clearly should be accorded, which will ultimately create and nourish mutual trust.
Communication
Communication underpins everything within a winning team. For your team to have the knowledge to do their job, they have to learn. Learning, whether it is formal or informal on-the-job training requires communication. Trust is built up over time and through experience that someone does what they say they will do. Communication is a fine art, and a post in itself, but is crucial in building a winning team. Great communication will help develop your team and build their knowledge. It will also help you build trust which in turn improves performance. Poor communication on the other hand will destroy everything that you have been working for and can turn a winning team into a losing one.
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