We continue to explore the roles a leader plays and this week look at the importance of Knowing the Resources in the Team. As teams are made up of individuals great leaders will always make a specific point of getting to know the capabilities and interests of each of the individuals in the team. This is vitally important in ensuring that the collective energy of the team is harnessed and channelled into the task at hand for that team.
Diversity in composition of a team is like having a balanced portfolio in your investments. Diversity of gender, culture, religion and even physical capabilities or leisure interests can all be positively channelled into making a team more effective. Even in a World Cup soccer squad one can see how building a team of different skills - tackling, high ball, fancy footwork etc all go to create an effective 11 man team - and it was very clear recently that the leaders (captains and coaches) use and combination of these skills laid the platform for successful progress to the next round.
WIthin your teams you must identify the individual strengths (and weaknesses) of each member - if you have the luxury of selecting the team ensure that you first clarify to your selection panel the skills sets they should be looking for to ensure successful achievement of the task. Whist it is often helpful to individuals development to explore areas outside of their comfort zone so as to grow their skills, effective team delivery is best achieved by the leader ensuring that the strengths of each individual are drawn upon and the weaknesses avoided when allocating tasks and roles.
A key area to further explore as a leader is the social or leisure time activities of individuals where often hidden skills and passions for non-work activities and interests can be harnessed to the benefit of the team. Be sure you as a leader are not missing these gems, and likewise as a team member be prepared to offer your wider expertise and share your experiences beyond what just the job description lays out.
A special skill in leaders is the ability to ensure that all team members interact positively with each other and respect the expertise and skills of each other. No one is the best at everything - look at the Tour de France teams - sprinters, climbers and solid 'plodders' are all brought to bear at different stages so that the TEAM wins. Each has a job to do and can apply the basic skill to different levels - this is good and exactly what your teams should be doing in striving to deliver their challenge.
KEY TAKE OUTS
- Know your team members interests and strengths
- Make sure ideas from every member of the team is respected and welcomed
- Use the team formal or informal 'experts' to drive their respective strong areas.
- Ensure that teams you work in are balanced and diverse