Best team to work for: All the attributes. I recently sat with a group of HR professionals and asked them to think back to the best team they have ever worked in. We then tried to identify the elements that made it such a good team and experience. Perhaps you will find the list that we compiled interesting. Have a look and compare it with your list of the ideal team:
1 Strong leadership (Vision, direction, the leaders shows interest in you as a person).
2 Self directed team, made up of competent people who were motivated selfstarters, committed to the cause, people who took responsibility for their different tasks.
3 A team with a BIG purpose, you know you make a difference.
4 A crystal clear plan, with common goals: A game plan with realistic time lines.
5 A team that strives for success: They do things well, achieve targets with the resulting sense of achievement, and, very important, celebrate the big successes. (Mastery)
6 Every member has a personal growth plan with timelines: You get good feedback from the leader (and 360 feedback from colleagues) on your strengths and growth areas. All in all, you are encouraged to grow!
7 A clear career path or growth plan: When you achieve things, you get the promotion.
8 You are challenged in accordance with your talents and abilities and have autonomy to execute. You are allowed to be in charge, others have the freedom to help you.
9 Empowered to do your job: When you were new: They took your hand and ran with you.
10 You feel included – leadership and colleagues involve you, and include and expose you as a young leader to areas of the business beyond your level, in order to groom you.
11 Team members trusted each other.
12 You are free to express yourself: Allowed to think innovatively.
13 Quality of life: Work/life balance. You have a life while making a living.
14 You are valued as a team member.
15 Team members care for each other. They even give emotional support to each other. They become more than team: Become brothers/sisters and father figures for each other.
16 Good listeners: Open minded - even when opinions differ.
17 Honest with each other: Honest feedback.
18 Can talk about problems – have methods to handle conflict.
19 Leverage each others' strengths – use diversity of talents to compliment each other.
20 High energy levels.
21 Have fun together.
22 Attitude of ‘it is not about me’. The team, organization and higher purpose must be served.
24 Good support systems in the rest of the company.
25 Members coach each other at different levels and transfer skills: Go beyond a learning organization to a teaching organization! (With apologies to Jack Welch! - GG)
26 Can deal with cultural, gender and personality diversity – have the secret to create a ‘unity-in-diversity’ team.
27 Recognition and reward for performance (awarded according to your preference and personality type!).
Sounds a bit like an unrealistic utopia? Is it out of reach? No! There are winning teams around the globe who do get it right. They are the teams who win the cup/prizes/awards, and achieve the targets.
Feel free to use this checklist as a starting point for discussion at your next team building session. Please add missing elements, if you identify any, in the comments below!
Also feel free to contact me to assit to achieve some of the above in your team – especially the work/life balance; the diversity issues and the secrets of self-motivation. Also for team assessments. Dr Gustav Gous. www.gustavgous.co.za; www.diviin.com +27123455931 +27825657451 Follow me on LinkedIn: Gustav Gous Facebook: Gustav Gous Or Twitter: @GustavGous
