What is the first step in building an effective team?

The first step in building an effective team is to find a fearless leader.

This leader is a person that would have folks wanting to follow them up the mountain rather then the leader standing behind them, pushing them up the mountain

Apart from the obvious need to define goals and objectives, the most important element is setting expectations and ground rules. Team members need to know what is expected of them, at what quality level, when, and at what cost - and they must commit to these constraints. I've found that failure to communicate these basics are the #1 reason projects fail.

Recruit people who will constructively challenge and support each other and set a compelling vision for a desired future state.

TRUST!!!!!!!

Great topic Alicia. I'd add that it's vital for the leader to be aware of how her actions affect the rest of the team and whether she practices behaviors that set a positive example of how to collaborate. It's also helpful to build a foundation of effective communication and collaborative problem-solving before expecting people to automatically know how to work together. The idea is to help everyone build deeper relationships and more meaningful and productive interactions.

Curious if people who responsed could advise how many teams they have put together/managed and some of the positive and negative takeaways. Anyone who has studied team building and team dynamics knows that much of what you learn goes out the window when managing live people on live projects.

I think I'm coming from left field. Ever since my exposure to the ideas of Dani & Geri Weinberger, I've had this appreciation that the first step in melding a team is to help them understand everybody is different (see Myers-Briggs). Once the team members appreciate the value in the differences that exist between them, they'll eventually be more likely to be successful in building off these differences (leveraging them) rather than by being frustrated by them.

Secondly - a Great Team leader is not one who delegates tasks and motivates players - at least not in a technical environment. A great leader is one who fosters an environment where the team members blossom, feel comfortable to express their creativity, to explore out-of-the-box solutions etc.

For more in this direction check out: http://www.geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Leadership.html

First - know yourself.

My team-building experience is limited to major-client teams in professional services, specifically, law.

We began by applying the Gallup research that says people's jobs should be aligned with their strengths rather than trying to "train 'em up" for a role for which they're not well prepared. Also, as shown in Daniel Pink's "Drive," humans are hard-wired to have three powerful needs:
1. Autonomy
2. (Pursuit of) Mastery
3. (Be part of a) Purpose larger than oneself

We began with a philosophical position about the team's mission:
1. Create a client satisfaction level that assures they're a long-term reference account
2. Grow revenue
3. Prepare for the client's and our shared future

From there, we defined eight contributory roles that would have to be fulfilled well to accomplish the mission. This was only a starting point. We invited anyone interested to opt into team membership by committing to filling one of the roles. People will only opt-in to a role that they're confident of succeeding in. "Hey, I can do that. I'll sign up for it." Under these conditions, you don't have to motivate them, train them or manage them. (Some roles had multiple opt-ins; one role attracted nobody, which meant the team had to take a closer look at the role to see what was wrong with it.)

The team set the specific goals, based on what they all wanted out of the effort. When I aggregated them, they were shocked at the scale of their collective ambition. (Pink's book shows that extrinsically-originated, "if-then" type goals are almost always counterproductive. This is also consistent with the observations of the "great" CEOs quote in Jim Collins' "Good to Great": Get the right people on the bus, and keep the wrong people off the bus. Then, let the right people decide where the bus is going, and how.)

One critical element, as others here have observed, is leadership. Not management, but leadership. We were fortunate that the co-chair of the firm, despite planning to retire 18 months hence, was eager to do it, and was sufficiently respected to be the right choice.

The team's goals included penetrating two new service categories from which they'd had no previous engagements. The individual goals added up to a 30% increase. Since this was in 2008, a tough year by any measure, and the client in question had declared a flat legal budget, the team members were intimidated by the aggregate size of their individual boldness.

Results: They accomplished every one of the individual goals, including penetrating the new service classes, and produced a 35% year-over-year revenue increase. Better, we took the training wheels off and removed ourselves as facilitators in August of that year, with the lawyers running the process themselves thereafter.

The client's feedback was that this firm had set itself "head and shoulders above" the other five "trusted circle" firms among whom the entire legal budget was concentrated.

I'm still in touch with the now-retired chairman, who is still in touch with his former partners. He tells me that this self-directed, self-managing team is still producing outstanding results every year.

One resource you might want to look at is "Pyramids Are Tombs," by Joe Phelps. His mar-comm creative agency is L.A. is structured 100% as self-organizing, self-directed teams.

Hire the right people.

Setting expectations and defining culture. Then hiring people that believe in that.

I would say first is desired outcomes-- understand the role(s), accountabilities, and authority the team or team members will have.

A few have noted culture... remember that a lot of that comes with hard business processes not soft intangibles. By this I mean delegations, authorities, permissions etc. say a lot about trust which is a pillar of culture... how hard or easy is it to get things done?

Having a competent team leader.

If only it was that simple...

Seeing them in action before you make a hiring decision. Get the hiring right and the rest is easy - get it wrong and it is an uphill battle.

www.hiringsimulation.com

Craig Bissett

Great answers but seems to be missing a key step...the first one. The cornersone.
Much as a product needs to have a winning value proposition to entice consumers to purchase it. A business venture, project etc. needs to have its own value proposition that talented people can understand and buy into. If you don't have this up front you are not likely to attract people who are as passionate about the work and goals as you are. Everything else is secondary and actually alot easier to do once step 1 is clear.

In this times where teleworking has become a kind of standard policy, I will say that the first step of building an effective team is making them work together in the same place, at least part of the time. It is very hard to organize an effective team if they work always from different geographic locations.

Craig, I agree with your statement. However, I thought the question is what would I do in developing a new team, and I meant to say TRUST, in both directions.

Hi, Alicia: Superb question, list and discussion!

I liked the response from you, Mike and Guy.

Craig and Pau: Enjoyed your banter. DO teams need to work together in the same physical space? My 2 cents say this is the old consulting catch-phrase; "it depends."

All: I would add the need for clarity regarding the team's intended lifespan; e.g. long-term departmental team vs a project team, the leader must consider talent capacity for innovation and change. Even long-term teams do well to consider how the competitive landscape, business drivers and mid to long-term strategies call for competencies and behavioral styles tending toward tasks, people, stability, risk, etc.

You can hedge your bets by building a team with intentionally diverse competencies and behavioral styles but there is an important caveat to doing so:
- a multi-disiplinary and styles team is ideal provided that they operate from trust and mutual respect. This is a tall order. Many leaders hope for the best when indeed it requires a team building learning continuum with emphasis on Alicia's items 2,3,4,7 and 8.

As always, thanks for making me think!

Actually I find this question quite simple, the first step should ALWAYS be understanding and agreeing the goal or mission of the team.

Remember that the question is, what is the FIRST step in building an effective team. Without a goal or mission of the team all else is simply secondary speculation. No team can be effective without a clear understanding of the objectives and expectations of those that decided to trigger putting a team together in the first place.

Great question Alicia, right up my alley! Cheers, Val

Hi Alicia,

My first step in building an effective team would be picturing a success! What will success be like and feel like? What will it look like when we get there?
Nevertheless, I believe that every effective and successful team has its own uniqueness that stand them apart from the rest.

I think Dave asks a great question and makes an important point.

Regarding the question of the types of teams one has managed as well as the positive/negative takeaways of each:

- I have formed and managed both long-term and short-term or project teams. The bulk of my experience is is building and managing long-term or departmental teams.

The positive and negative takeaways for both short-term/project and long-term/departmental type teams are worthy of a separate discussion entirely. In GENERAL (with many caveats worthy of deep discussion) the takeaways:

- Short-term or project teams; to focus on selecting existing competencies and strengths to meet the task at hand. Common challenges are engagement and accountability.

- Long-term or departmental teams; to build and develop an interdisciplinary team based upon competencies, behavioral styles, developmental needs and succession plans to meet the needs of the company, department/team and individual contributors. Common challenges are personalities and development.

With respect to book-learning versus real-world:
- Time and again, those with only book-learning as well as those with only business-reality perspectives fall short of optimizing the people, process and profit outcomes.

As a professional group our collective goal should be to serve as business case educators to create positive change by bridging the academic and business worlds.

Since a team is a group of people you need to work well together to accomplish an agreed upon goal, the first important piece to get established is your credibility and trust worthiness. These have to be established and kept throughout the project.

Some important considerations prior to hireing....
What rolls, & tasks are you trying to fill?
What Compensation structure are you going to start with and potentially end with.
If you are hiring someone you intend to mentor, it is always easier to hire 2 or more at a time, that way they draft and drive each other. Especially in sales. This way your efforts are leveraged. You bring on a team to leverage time, not chew it up.

Rule 1: Build relationships because with a team you have to win through other people. And the only way to get people to do anything is to give them what they want.

How? Meet one-on-one and ask each team member what are the two most important things to them. Then make a mental note of their answers and then the team leader/organizer must answer these questions for each team member:

1. What are we trying to achieve? (goals)
2. Why are we trying to achieve this? (purpose)
3. What's in it for me? (self-interest/motivation)
4. How can I contribute? (roles)

Keep Grinding for Greatness!

You only have a REAL team if the team members hold each other accountable. The first step in building an effective team is ensuring that the team does not need a manager to handle under performers. Too often, I experience a request to come in to a group to do team building, but the group has a) no intention of becoming a real team and b) no desire to hold each other accountable (holding a team member accountable, in their minds, is the manager's job). If you need to be managed with co-workers having to chase you down for your work and you are full of excuses you may not be the right fit for a team environment.

Should be in sequence

1. Goal
2. Communication skill
3. leader sincerety
4. treat this goal as your last target so should divert all to your juniors
5. hard working
6. your personal and time attention
7. ready good reward to your team member.

all above next job you will just give paper to your team and will go on holiday.

AS first step "You should be capable to handle team as leader"

The first thing to do to build a team is to decide the members profiles. To build a team with only superstars of a particular type to match knowledge and skills only related to your goals is a failing prospect. there needs to be a broader knowledge of the outcomes and how they can/will affect the entire business/market and visa-verse. Also if you have all visionaries and no implementers it will never be properly documented or executed. Suffice it to say conciser the team and individuals profile first.

The first thing to do to build a team is to decide the members profiles. To build a team with only superstars of a particular type to match knowledge and skills only related to your goals is a failing prospect. there needs to be a broader knowledge of the outcomes and how they can/will affect the entire business/market and visa-verse. Also if you have all visionaries and no implementers it will never be properly documented or executed. Suffice it to say conciser the team and individuals profile first.

Hi Alicia,

I think that the first thing is to know who the team's champion/sponser is, so that you will be able to follow the list that you have outlined. If the team has a champion/sponser that no one likes then the likelihood of success diminishes considerably. With the right champion you have influence that may allow you to pick your own team members and not get the cast-offs that the managers don't wish to deal with.

I am not saying that you could not be successful with cast-offs, but your job of going through the four stages of team building may be a little easier.

Best of luck finding the solution that works best for you.

Mike hit it right on the nailhead. There's no reason to build a team unless you first know exactly what the team will be accomplishing/working on. The second step is to divide the goal into discreet sections, each of which can be assigned to a team member. Third: describe the skillsets necessary for each task.
Finally, look for the people who come closest to having these skillsets.
Finally/First: make absolutely certain that every team member knows and acknowledges the team leader as team leader.

Believe they are the best.

mobilizing the members and uniting them.