You will, most likely, find yourself faced with a number of challenges as you work to build your growing team. Each member will need to be properly trained and at the same time you’ll need to ensure that every individual is able to work both on his own and with the group.

One of the best ways to monitor the development of your team is through the GOALS model. The GOALS model, developed by Simon Hayward, provides you with a simple blueprint for success. The model is as follows:

• G – Goals: Does each member of your team have individual goals; and, is each member of your team aware of the group’s overall goals?
• O – Opportunity: Will everyone have the opportunity to use their strong skills and contribute to the team? Will there be opportunities for advancement within the team or, in some cases, out of the team?
• A – Authority: Does one person (you) have the authority to lead the projects the group is responsible for? Does each individual member of the team have the authority to access the information he needs to do his job?
• L – Learning: Will every member of your team have access to the educational resources he needs in order to grow and succeed?
• S – Standards: Do you expect every member of your team to live up to the same high standards you have set? Are these standards reflected in both their individual and group contributions?

Use this model as you evaluate your team and each individual member. You may be comfortable with the way your team functions now, but why settle for a good team when it could easily be transformed into something great!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Believe it or not, your employees really do want the opportunity to be part of a successful team. Acting as a member of an effective team gives individuals a sense of pride and accomplishment. There’s something to be said for working with a team instead of alone.

There are bonuses to being part of a team as well. Most people want to be part of a team because they are faced with new opportunities. Some of these opportunities include:

• The chance to do things that make them feel good about themselves
• The opportunity to accomplish something they feel is worthwhile
• The opportunity to learn new things or develop new work skills
• The freedom to do the their work well
• The chance to do the things they love and do best

In the end, these criteria have a huge impact on the bottom line performance of any team. If the individual members don’t feel as though they have these “chances,” they will feel stuck and unmotivated.

Take a look at your dynamic team structure as it is today. Are the members of your team experiencing all of the above? If not, can you do anything to ensure they walk away feeling more fulfilled?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Courses

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

As you begin to develop your new team (or restructure your current team) it’s important to determine whether or not the group of people you select will have what it takes to form a high performing team.

There are five main factors that indicate whether or not the team you put together will work effectively or fall flat on its face. They include:

• Vision and goals – does each member of the team understand exactly what the team’s goals and objectives are? Do they all share the same vision? If not, you’ll have people working towards different goals and in the end the pieces of the puzzle will not come together to effectively create a finished product or project.
• Do you have a tried and true method for selecting members and forming your team? You should have certain expectations for each member of the team and should be able to judge the character of each person you meet during your initial and follow-up interviews. Don’t hire someone you view doubtfully.
• Do your team members have the right training and skills development tools available to them? Make sure they’re able to get the additional training and resources they need in order to effectively complete their jobs – not just to the expected norm, but above and beyond the level you expect.
• Are the members of your team resourceful and committed? Do they feel empowered? Each member of the team should feel like he has a significant role. Those who feel as though they’re just another face in the crowd will perform at sub-par levels.
• Does the culture of your organisation support the goals and ideals of your team? If the organisation does not support you the members of your team will not feel as though their jobs and tasks mean anything in the overall scheme of things.

If all of these things come toghether you are likly to have a team that performs at a high level of functionality all the time, no matter what type of task is on the agenda. Take away one of these factors and you’ll begin to see things falter.

Take a step back and look at your team as it stands right now. Are you all performing at your highest capacity? What can you do to increase your productivity while decreasing stress and tension?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

You’ve spent a lot of time interviewing, training, and working with the members of your team. I wonder, though – what characteristics did you look for as you chose your team?

There are five main characteristics that have a huge influence on the way your team performs when working together and they will make or break your team when it comes to successes or failures. They are:

• The level of desire your team has to do well combined with their skills and competence levels;
• The way the team has been designed from a geographical, functional, or hierarchial standpoint;
• Whether or not you have a leader (elected or appointed) or left the team without a leader;
• The way each person was assigned a role and the level of contribution each makes; and
• Your organisational culture (aka, diversity) – race, genders, etc.

Each of these characteristics is important on its own but, when put together, will blend to make a team that either works well together or has difficulties communicating or getting along.

Where does your team stand right now? Do your team members get along well or constantly argue? Is there anything you can change (from any of these standpoints) that will change the way your team works together?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

You’ve spent months interviewing applicants, hiring new employees, and training each one to become an effective member of your team. You’ve spent a lot of time looking at each employee as an individual, but now it’s time to take a step back.

Are all of the members of your team working together well – as a team?

That was the point, right? Forming an effective team?

So now you have to determine whether or not your team is working effectively and there are three main things you should look for:

• Are we, as a team, hitting our targets and reaching our goals?
• Do we need to improve our workflows, procedures, and processes?
• Does everyone on the team get along on a personal level?

If you answered YES to all three questions than it’s safe to say you’ve done an excellent job with your team building efforts. If you answered NO to any of those questions than you need to figure out why and make changes to your goals, procedures, or even to the team as a whole.

How effective is your team?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Manager Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”