Five Tips for Building Effective Teams

Among the biggest responsibilities of a leader is to get the best out of their team. The relationship of the team members is, therefore, vital in achieving this. An effective team will have a better performance than a disjointed collective, where people put in individual performances.

The team-building process isn't theoretical, but it calls for some effort from the leader. Such leaders have to overcome plenty of challenges to mould great teams. If you're wondering how you can build an effective team, here are 5 tips that can come in handy.

Exude Strong Leadership

2019 Global Human Capital Trends survey revealed that 80 percent of respondents rated leadership a high priority for their teams, however, only 41 per cent of them think their teams are ready or very ready to meet their leadership requirements.

To learn the basics of building an effective team, you need to first learn how to become an effective leader yourself. Only an effective leader's presence can be felt even when they are not around. Through such influence, the team can push through the individual and group activities and deliver results.

To be an effective team leader, you must start by establishing your leadership with every team member by building trust and loyalty, instead of fear or focusing on the power of ranks. You must take part and stay in touch with the workplace's daily activities, and when there are signs of a problem, you should take the initiative and deal with the problem as the leader.

The right type of leadership isn't the authoritative way of imposing authority. It involves nurturing trust through openness and takes an honest approach. This may not be possible with your team always, but you must always be approachable and honest enough for them to feel free to talk to you about anything.

Build the Relationship of the Team Members

George Williams, an operations manager from Novalease says, “The leader must always be keen to note how the team members work together. Preferably, team members should be self-driven, and the team should, therefore, perform without having to be pushed through each activity. As a leader, your job is not to form a team and give instructions. Rather, you should guide your team and encourage them to work effectively with each other.”

The more team members become comfortable with each other, the more efficient and productive they become as they gain confidence and trust with each other.

Here are some ways through which team members learn each other's roles and work styles:

Team-building sessions. Co-ordinated tasks aimed at helping team members build trust, and giving them the confidence that they can rely on one another can help boost your team's effectiveness and productivity.

Encourage collaboration: Whenever you hire a new member, hand them over to a mentor to acquaint them with the workflow. Mentorship programs go a long way toward nurturing connections!

Involve the Team In Hiring

If you're looking to hire a new member, consult your team first. Allow the team to interact with the candidates as they will potentially work together, and they must fit into the team's profile. Experience and qualifications are certainly vital – but the most vital qualities to hire for are the soft skills in line with your team. As for the respect and trust mentioned above, soft skills are like glue. They ensure effective communication. They keep different people together, while the qualifications only make sure that tasks are executed professionally and as expected.

Capitalise on Conflict

There are no teams that are immune to occasional disagreements. At some point, conflicts will arise. Whenever there is a heated confrontation between workers in a start-up, the CEO must intervene and handle the issue. Declaring who is in the wrong will only make the situation worse, and it is, therefore, important to listen to both parties and also get the account of other members who witnessed the quarrel.

Suggesting solutions that are likely to work out for both sides could easily give rise to ideas that wouldn't have come up without the conflict. This is not to glorify conflicts, but to show how they help people view both sides of the situation. More perspectives or views to a matter translate into more possibilities.

Observe and Review

Evaluation methods are part and parcel of the process of nurturing a great team. Use clear metrics like financial measures to measure the success of your team and each team member. Whenever you set definite goals, you must evaluate the successes at definite time intervals. Some of the critical questions to ask yourself include: