A few years ago, I had a dream that I gave a TED talk on our culture’s obsession with “ER,” also known as wanting bigger, better, smarter, faster. Then I stumbled upon Leidy Klotz’s book, Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less. Eureka! This is the book that explains why our brains are hardwired for MORE (which actually is an RE word…). Continue reading
Let’s talk about the role and selection of the team leader. I see the team leader as the primary point of contact between the team and other parts of the organization. The team leader acts as the spokesperson to higher levels of management and resolves conflicts between supervisors and managers. If you think about a traditional organization chart, the team leader is at the top and the team members report to the team leader.
Whereas inside the workings of the team, the team leader is more coaching, inspiring, and enabling the team to “want to do the work that must be done.” In this case, the leader is at the hub of the team vs. the top!
Management typically appoints the team leader if the team is just forming and members don’t know each other well. In a few cases, management doesn’t yet have a high degree of trust in the team’s decision-making process and therefore finds it necessary to appoint a leader at the onset. They typically appoint the process expert or senior member to lead and represent the team at management briefings.
Management must choose an individual who has demonstrated facilitative leadership skills, or they should be prepared to train the prospective team leader. The team leader should be well-respected by the team and other stakeholders, be technically competent, and have the best interests of the team and the overall organization in mind. Some organizations use an assessment instrument or a simulation to forecast how well the potential team leader will interact.
The team may decide who the team leader is going to be. Typically, teams select the obvious “leader,” (most senior, most knowledgeable, most outgoing, etc.), but for management to be truly comfortable with the team’s decision, the team should decide its leadership based on specific criteria as mentioned above. In this way, management will feel more comfortable and confident with the team’s decisions.
It is not unusual for an informal leader to emerge mid-way through the team development process. The informal leader usually complements the formal leader’s spokesperson role by ensuring open and clear communication, cooperative relationships, and effective decision-making.
Rotating Team Leaders volunteer or are assigned the leadership role for a specific task and within a specific length of time. This ensures balanced participation and allows team members to learn new leadership skills and sharpen their team skills.
All teams need a team leader to focus their efforts, set guidelines, and deliver results. How you go about selecting your team leader depends largely on the mission, management, organizational culture, and development of your team.
Define Roles and Responsibilities with Clarity
This team building activity is a great tool to demonstrate the importance of clear process instructions. It works with any size group and requires about 5 minutes. You will need a colorful sheet of paper for each team member. Continue reading
As your team comes together, it is important to define the roles and responsibilities beyond the sharing of team roles. Most people want to know where they belong on the team — why they are there and what is expected of them. Take the time to clarify their roles.
Expectations. Ask what they expect from the team and how they might be able to contribute to the team’s success.
Job Description. Let team members describe, in their own words, what their job is, the work that they do, how they do it, who they work with, and what they are responsible for.
Action Items. Clarify action items and responsibilities. Ensure team members have a clear understanding of what the task is, and what the team expects them to do. Agree on how the members will let the team know the task is accomplished.
Definition of a Good Team Player. Clarify the definition of a good team player. For example, he or she contributes meaningfully to the team, shares knowledge and expertise, participates in all meetings and discussions, and carries out assignments between meetings.
Balance Task and Maintenance Behaviors. Less tangible, but just as important, are the team’s interaction skills. We all think we are great team players, committed to getting the job done with others. An effective team demonstrates a wide range of task and maintenance behaviors:
Task behaviors enable the team to work on a specific task.
Maintenance behaviors ensure the team is working well together.
These task and maintenance roles can both help and hinder discussion. It’s important to have a balance of all of these behaviors for effective teamwork.
Tap into Your Team’s 6 Types of Working Genius
How to Facilitate a Virtual Meeting: Roles, Tips, & Responsibilities
When you watch a high-performing team in action, you realize that they have some habits, rituals, and ceremonies that support the team’s work.
So what’s the difference? I defined habits in an earlier blog post as “an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary,” and a ritual as “a series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone. A ritual is a custom or tradition that defines who they are as a team, reinforces positive team behaviors, and contributes to the team’s culture and philosophy.” I’ve also come to realize that there is another category – I’ll call it “ceremonies” that extend beyond the team level and are performed at the organizational level.
Many of these habits, rituals, and/or ceremonies are created in the moment, by the team leader or a team member. When they go over so well, the team wants to do it again….and again until it becomes second nature!
Andy Duke Group Director of Creative Designs at Stickyeyes says,
“A successful ritual needs to be something out of the ordinary, something that lifts people out of the day-to-day aspects of their job and puts them in a different mindset.”
Here are some examples that I have seen effective teams establish to create a certain purpose and put them in a different mindset:
The key to any of these activities is that the team habits, rituals, and ceremonies are done together as a team.
Support Your Team’s Mission with Your Habits, Routines, and Rituals
Rituals Help Establish a Sense of Unity Within Teams
Contact Kristin about your Meeting Facilitation & Design, Interactive Speeches, or Facilitation Training Needs.
800-589-4733