NH Business Review Column: Building Great Teams -- It Takes Effective Leaders to Create and Sustain Them

The best leaders understand and embrace the critical importance of creating effective teams to achieve a shared purpose/vision. “You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime," Babe Ruth once observed. This doesn’t just apply to sports: effective teamwork is critical to business and organizational success. While individuals can sometimes accomplish great things, people working together almost always accomplish more. As Helen Keller once observed, "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” The power of synergy, that 1+1 can add up to so much more than 2, is exemplified by effective teamwork. High performing teams invite collaboration, foster innovation, and achieve superior results.

The ability to create and sustain successful teams is a key leadership skill that includes these components:

·        Establish a clear purpose for the team activity that is well communicated

·        Know your people and their talents 

·        Put together the team in a way that aligns purpose and people  

·        Establish clear expectations that are proactively communicated and managed

·        Designate team leadership (oneself or someone else)

·        Manage team conflicts

·        Monitor progress, cohesion, and team morale (and, if necessary, make adjustments)

·        Acknowledge achievements and validate results.

You can read Dr. Teschner’s full column in the January 17, 2020 edition of the New Hampshire Business review here: https://www.nhbr.com/building-great-teams/.