Team Excellence Never Happens By Accident

By Solomon Masala | Team Building

Jan 09

Blog_post_Excellence Never Happens By Accident

For most people, there is a core desire to feel a sense of pride in work. A desire to meet goals, rock the business, and feel accomplished with the day – and celebrate the success of a job excellently done!

Most leaders want a team that lives and breathes that kind of value – that expresses that kind of culture.

But most teams are built with individuals hired only because they can do the logistics of the job.  Hardly much (if any) weight is put on the person’s ability to understand and further a culture of excellence.

Sit with that awareness for a moment: you have the team you have.  But you are not stuck with that team’s abilities.

Team development is typically looked upon as a fun activity to be done when there is budget to do it – more like a team outing.

 This misunderstanding can cost you the type of team you need, and ultimately the success you envision.

You will only get the kind of team you want from consciously developing the kind of team you want. No sports coach would simply trust the team’s default ability – the coach uses all resources available to hone the skills and maximize the team’s (each individual’s) ability.  

Team development, the way we deliver it, is about hard-wiring behaviors and skills that lead to excellence. It’s about using team building activities to develop the leadership qualities and leadership styles that drive real performance in every team. What skills?  What behaviors? Let’s get specific.

In the American Management Association’s 2010 Critical Skills Survey, 2,115 managers and executives (across a spectrum of industries) detailed the critical skills teams really need.

  • Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
  • Communication skills
  • Collaboration skills
  • Creativity and innovation skills

 And, 75% of those surveyed believed these are the necessary skills as the economy improves and organizations look to grow, in high addition to the basic skills needed to do the functional work. 

Critical thinking – communication – collaboration – creativity…these are skills that most people simply do not spend their time developing. It’s up to you, the team leader, the manager, the executive, the business owner to provide the necessary context for these skills to emerge, grow and evolve. This is what a team culture is all about – developing a place that fosters and reinforces team excellence.

Without conscious effort to develop these skills, you’re at the whim of the lowest common behavior denominator. The good news is, you’re not stuck there – we’ll help you achieve the team you envision.

 

 

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About the Author

Solomon is a trainer and consultant who works with organizations and teams in a graceful, energizing, and insightful manner - transforming the individuals and the whole. Inspiring, palpable and sustainable, positive change is always a result.