Showing posts with label teamwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teamwork. Show all posts

Friday, 16 December 2016

Why Teamwork is the Key to Your Success



Regardless of how big or small the company is, it needs to have an effective team that consists of professionals who know how to do their job quickly and efficiently.

Why do you need a Team?

Why does a company need teams to provide decision making and problem solving?

The answer is pretty simple: the companionship of strong thinkers that can solve any problem is priceless because the best ideas are rarely born in isolation.

Without support and expertise of other people, one can easily become almost self-destructive in their thinking. That’s why one needs a team.







Why Teamwork is the Key to Success

Let’s imagine that you are an entrepreneur who just started a company and needs reliable people to advance the business. Clearly, you need to perform a lot of responsibilities, so your mind is always focused on several tasks (or even more).

You make a decision on how to solve a problem that recently emerged in the marketing department of the company but you need to ensure that this decision is right and the solution is effective. As the result, the following questions need to be answered:
Is the solution effective?
Are there more effective solutions?
What if I there is a flaw in the marketing plan?
Is there someone with a marketing degree that can assist me on this?

These questions clearly show that you need several people to help you to make a decision with confidence.

Specifically, a person with a marketing degree is needed, a person that could see the big picture and identify flaws in the current marketing plan, a person that can improve or assist in improving your own solution or propose some new ones.

Wow, that’s a lot to brainstorm, especially when the clock is ticking, you agree?


People are everything

There are a number of personalities that one could have on a team to ensure that each project is run effectively and efficiently. These personalities will help to brainstorm the questions above and help to deliver the best solutions.

They include:


1. The Dreamer Personality

This person contributes by telling you what is next and what is possible. Even though they tend to think hopefully, they always go beyond the limits and boundaries to show what can be achieved.


This personality is especially good to have in a team because they will always provide creative energy and extend the solutions provided by other members of the team.


2. The Doer Personality


Even if the solution you came up with had some flaws and resulted in addition work, a doer will get the job done regardless of the circumstances.

These people are known for their “roll-up-your sleeves” attitude, which is essential to have on the team when you need something to be completed when you need it.


3. The Disruptor Personality

When the team generates a solution, the disruptor comes in with a new perspective that is useful for ensuring that the solution is the best to use.

These people are described as critical thinkers and extremely curious because they can spot shortcomings and bring something better.






4. The Driver personality


Another profoundly important personality to have because they keep the other team members focused on the task.

This could be especially helpful at crisis times when motivation is low because drivers can ensure that the team is working regardless of the conditions.


5. The Fun-Maker Personality

This person will ensure that the team is having fun during work. At times when the work is piled up, it is profoundly important to maintain a positive attitude and the fun-maker makes sure that the team is not depressed.

How about having these guys helping you out?

With such diverse team one can easily advance the decision-making and problem-solving because it is much easier to deliver a more quality discussion and therefore solution by using the expertise of others. However, they need to learn to work together.


Cohesion

Cohesion is therefore the factor that ensures the great results delivered by a team.

One of the best explanations of cohesion is given by Boundless:

However, cohesion does not just happen by itself, it should be generated and supported by:


1. Trust

People on the team should trust each other in order to be comfortable with providing their thoughts and constructively criticizing others.

Without trust, the team work would be a debate rather than brainstorming because the members will try to outsmart each other. No good solution can be made in such teams.


2. Openness


Every person in the team should demonstrate some interest in learning about each other.

This way, according to a team building expert from Pro Essay Writing, they will learn about personality types and skills possessed by each member, which is important for future work because it will make them more open to their ideas.

As the result, each opinion and idea generated during team brainstorming will be given an equal chance for review and consideration.


3. Respect

It is absolutely necessary for respect to exist within a team to make it running. Without it, the members might try to blame their colleagues for bad decisions because they disregard their expertise.

On the other hand, mutual respect is a better way to go because it will ensure that the team will try to find better ways together instead of diving into groups of who was right and wrong.


Summary


Openness, trust, and respect are important to all teams. In addition to business teams, sports are the best example of how these three factors can contribute to success, even against a more talented team.

In sports, just like in business, the success depends on the chemistry and collaboration of every player on the team.

The ball, just like a business task, is moved among all players, and each of them makes decisions on what do with them next: pass it to the player who is in the closer position to the hoop (can be compared to a colleague with a better expertise) or go right to the goal alone (disregard the assistance of colleagues).

Watch this video made as a tribute to Sun Antonio Spurs, where the best in basketball express their admiration of how the team plays.

The ultimate result of their incredible unselfish team play is the victory in the NBA Finals against the best player in the world, LeBron James, and another star Dwayne Wade.

No stars? No problem. We have teamwork and talent.


Key Takeaways

Now, you know how important is to have an effective team that works for you. Here are the main takeaways from this article:

• Teams are a great asset for the companies that can enhance the problem solving and decision making. There are many personalities that could be added to the team to deliver better results and keep it running regardless of the circumstances, so you can really manage how your team is assembled.
• Trust, openness, and respect are essential for success of teams regardless of what personalities are used to assemble it.
Do you think teamwork is a huge importance for success? Leave a comment below.

Monday, 17 October 2016

How to Discover Leadership Qualities Within Yourself

You’re an introvert.

You don’t have a boisterous personality. You’ve never seen an actual popularity contest, but you are certain if you were in one, that you wouldn’t win. Clearly, you aren’t cut out to be a leader.

Are you?

That depends. If one were to believe the depiction of leaders that exists in movies, television, books, and the classroom, the answer to that question might be yes.

After all, based on the typical portrayal of a leader, aren’t the brash, outgoing, forceful, outspoken, and charismatic? How can a person without these characteristics be an effective leader?
How to Discover Leadership Qualities Within Yourself

Here’s the truth. You can be a great leader without possessing the nature or personality traits of the stereotypical leader that has been presented to you. You have innate leadership qualities.

You just have to figure out what they are, and how you can use them.

Try to answer the following questions, and you might discover these qualities within yourself.







1. Are you willing to come in early and stay late?

You may have received messaging that tells you that good leaders get people to perform by having a commanding presence.

This isn’t true.

Successful leaders earn the respect of their teams when they lead by example. This means demonstrating the willingness to put in the same work that your team puts in.

If you are willing to put in the same long hours that your team must work, you’ve already established some leadership abilities.


2. Will you step in when a team member needs help?

Shouldn’t true leaders model adherence to firm expectations?


Shouldn’t they demand that team members overcome their own struggles and contribute effectively?

Doesn’t that help equal enabling?

You might think that your desire to help people around you is a weakness. It is not. When you help somebody, you aren’t modelling being taken advantage of.

You aren’t modelling permitting irresponsibility.


“AS A LEADER, YOUR ABILITY TO RECOGNISE AND STEP IN TO HELP SOMEBODY IS PRICELESS.”

By doing so, you are communicating the message that each member of the team that is important, and that it is okay to model teamwork and cooperation.


3. Is it important for you that every member of a team is valued?


Good leaders are task oriented.

Great leaders are also task oriented but they balance that with true concern for the development and well being over everybody on their team.

If you have a natural tendency to try and help your team find their talents and discover how and where they can contribute, that is a great sign that that you have the ability to lead your team and boost morale.


4. Will you stand up for an idea you believe in or advocate for a coworker?


Sometimes, the best thing that a leader can offer is quiet yet sincere advocacy both for the ideas that they believe in, or for the people on their teams.

If you have the ability and the willingness to do this, you are already well on your way to becoming a leader.

If people know that you are willing to stand up for them and protect their interests, they will be more willing to follow your lead and believe in your leadership abilities.


5. Would you rather seek consensus than victory?


It is a common misconception that a great leader is always seeking victory when it comes to disagreements and confrontations.

This is untrue.


“GOOD LEADERS RECOGNISE THAT WINNING BATTLES OFTEN RESULTS IN HURT FEELINGS AND RESENTMENTS.”

These things can have a negative impact on morale and future interactions with the parties who ended up on the losing side of the confrontation.

If your natural instinct is to find common ground and work towards solutions that benefit everybody, and that make everybody feel good about the resolution, you have one of the most important leadership qualities that there is.






6. Do you recognise the value of picking your battles?

Not only do good leaders seek compromise and consense wherever there is controversy, they also know that it is often wise to avoid controversy altogether.

Many people believe that conflict avoidance is something that others will take as a sign of weakness.

In reality, this couldn’t be further than the truth. Think about it. Everybody knows at least one person who continually is at battle with somebody over something.

They seemingly cannot let anything go, and so they move from one confrontation to another. It is very rare to see these types of people in leadership positions, and when they are in leadership positions, they are often seen as bullies.

Somebody who has innate leadership skills wisely chooses their battles. The result is that when they do decide to take a firm stance on something, that stance is usually respected.


7. Are you willing to give credit to others for their contributions?


A great leader is primarily focused on the development of others.

This means overseeing their growth and training as employees, ensuring that they are happy and fulfilled with the work that they are doing, and ensuring that they are recognised for their accomplishments.


“ALL TOO OFTEN, WHEN A TEAM IS SUCCESSFUL, ALL OF THE PRAISE AND CREDIT GOES TO THE PERSON AT THE TOP.”

A great leader doesn’t let that happen. They ensure that everybody involved receives specific and meaningful credit for their contributions.

If you have a tendency to pass compliments on to others, it can be a sign that you recognise the importance of giving credit where credit is due.
Summary

As you can see, there is every bit as much value in quiet, competent leadership as there is in a loud and brash leadership style.

In fact, in many cases, quiet leaders who truly care about their teams, work as hard as they demand others to work, and are willing to take principled stands, are more respected than their often demanding and confrontational counterparts.

So, if you are an introvert, contemplative in nature, and have a quiet demeanour, don’t assume that leadership is not in the cards for you. The truth is, these characteristics may be signs that your innate leadership skills are much stronger than you realise.
Let us quickly recap on the questions featured in this article:
Are you willing to come in early and stay late?
Will you step in when a team member needs help?
Is it important for you that every member of a team is valued?
Will you stand up for an idea you believe in or advocate for a coworker?
Would you rather seek consensus than victory?
Do you recognise the value of picking your battles?
Are you willing to give credit to others for their contributions?



If you would like to develop your leadership skills, you can make the effort to find ways to act as a leader where you are right now.

You don’t need a promotion or a title to be a leader. You can mentor co-workers, be a source of practical and emotional support, and simply be willing to work just a bit harder than is expected of you.

You can also find your voice by learning to express your ideas and to advocate for yourself and the people working with you.
Is there anything to like to comment on about this article? Leave a comment below.