As more organizations adopt a teamwork framework, it is important to consider what are the skills that make up great teamwork. Here are six skill areas for team leaders and team members to consider further development.
Effective teamwork requires Foundation of a clear vision and purpose of the team. Teams will want to consider these questions: What is the purpose of the team? Why do we exist? Why is it important to operate as a team, rather than as individual contributors? What is our vision of where we are going? Is this vision aligned and shared by all? Does each team member know how their role and work impacts this vision and purpose or mission?
1. Communication – Communication is essential for effective teamwork. Communication consists of several factors: listening, as well as our words, body language and rhythm. A reminder that communication is not just what we say. In fact, in face-to-face communication, body language contributes almost 55% of the message, followed by words with 7% and tone, rhythm and tone with 38%. These numbers change when we switch to phone calls in which we lose body language signals. In e-mail, the balance shifts again as the tone is lost. Through email our words carry the weight.
In a team, communication is not only what is said, it is also what is not said in a team. What is the team not talking about? What difficult conversations might it be necessary to have?
Linked to communication is listening. What is the quality of listening on the computer? Are team members really paying attention to what others are saying, as well as paying attention to the other non-verbal cues that exist? Rather, team members are so eager to “talk” that they don’t actually listen to what the other person is saying, but instead focus on what they want to say.
What are the strengths of your team in the areas of communication? Where is there an opportunity to develop them further?
two. Adaptability – In the business context of doing more with less and continual change, adaptability has never been more important. The ability to regularly change course, think critically and be resilient is critical for teams that want to be on top of their game.
How adaptable is your overall team? The members of your team? How important is adaptability in your context?
3. Valuation of differences – There can be enormous diversity that exists in any team. From different work styles to career backgrounds, priorities, and even generations, effective teams appreciate the differences. Part of this appreciation requires looking at how team members are alike and how they differ. Knowing more about the preferences and styles of each team member can build understanding rather than conflict. For example, one team member may be very detail-oriented, while another team member is a “broad-minded” thinker. Knowing our individual preferences and styles allows us to be more sensitive to our biases and how we should adapt our approaches in interacting with each other. This topic goes hand in hand with the emotional intelligence of the team.
How do you appreciate your team and work through differences? What are the differences, synergies and strengths that exist in your team?
Four. Trust and respect: Trust and respect is a fundamental requirement for any team. If each team member does not have the other’s back, then team members operate within their own silos. Similarly, getting things done is highly dependent on the team trusting each other and sharing the resources and information needed to get things done.
What is the level of trust and respect in your team?
5. Emotional intelligence – Emotional Intelligence, or EI, is getting more and more attention from leaders these days. Emotional intelligence is “The ability to recognize our own feelings and those of others, to motivate ourselves, to handle emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.” (Daniel Goleman, Harvard Business Review). Individuals and teams that are strong in emotional intelligence possess self-awareness (self-awareness), social awareness (awareness of others), relationship management (ability to develop strong relationships), and self-management (the ability to control emotions). .
6. Commitment, responsibility and follow-up – Teams exist to produce results. Commitment to the objectives (shared and individual) necessary to achieve the results is essential. Many teams often lack accountability and follow-through. What are you committed to, collectively and individually, as a team, or what are you committing to to move the team forward? How are you creating this responsibility and recording? Is there a point of contact for going back to check the progress of the action steps or is it assumed that all have been accomplished? High performing teams agree on how actions will be tracked and focus on this consistently.
What is your team committed to? What supports the team in terms of responsibility and follow-up?
Finally, in which of these areas does your team already excel? What areas will you as a development team benefit from?