CHAPTER 1

The Team Leader

"A chief is a man who assumes responsibility. He says, 'I was beaten.' He doesnot say, 'My men were beaten.'"

—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Team Leader Attitudes

Your attitude toward and understanding of team processes make the differencebetween a team that "goes through the motions" and one that thrives. Do yourespect your team? Are you invested in team members' growth? Are you availableand inspiring? Are you accountable when problems arise? A great team leadertakes responsibility and shares credit.

As a leader, you set the tone for your team. What attitudes do you project? Doyou use positive, encouraging words?

A leader of strong teams

* Wants to help team members achieve success

* Creates team cohesion

* Cares about the well-being of team members

* Creates a positive, inspiring atmosphere

* Respects every member of the team

* Shares credit and shoulders responsibility

* Gives team members necessary skills, then steps back to let them thrive

Strong team leaders align themselves with their teams. They consider themselvespart of the team, not leaders walking out ahead. They encourage and take pridein the success of the team and its individual members. Team member successreflects well on the team, and people can sense a genuine interest in theirsuccess and well-being. Such an interest on the part of the team leader is astrong motivator.

Create a positive atmosphere for the day, the project, the vision, the goals,and the overall outlook. This would involve both something as small as thefriendly "Good morning!" and as powerful as setting an expectation for whetheryour team's biggest challenges can be solved.

As team leader, you need to communicate with clarity and conciseness, speakingless and listening more. Great team leaders don't need to have all the answers;they just need to ask the right questions. Your role in support of the team willdiminish as members gain confidence and hone team skills. Use your creativeenergies to assemble the best possible team and to give everyone the methods toshine as a team.

Healthy Team Development

The team goes through stages, most commonly referred to as Forming, Storming,Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. These stages were coined by Bruce Tuckmanin 1965 and are still the most commonly used illustration of team development.Following is a brief overview of the stages, which you may or may not share withyour team. Whether or not you do, it is helpful for you to understand the stagesof team development.

* Forming is the first stage; the forming of your team, goals, guidelines, andinitial statements of expectations and establishment of roles. Team members arestill acting independently in the beginning. Leadership must be strong andinvolved at this stage.

* Storming is the stage in which team members are adjusting to each other anddetermining roles within the team. There may be tension, power struggles, orshifting roles; this is all part of the Storming process. The team leader stillneeds to be the final word on decisions until a decision-making process isestablished and working. Some teams never leave this stage, but a strong leadercan work the team through this difficult time.

* Norming is the stage at which things begin to settle down, and team members arefunctioning in their roles. At this time, adjustments can still be made, butteam members know what is expected of them and how the team, as a whole,functions. Beware of the team working so hard to make things run smoothly thatthey enter a phase of group-think decision making. Disagreements and debates area healthy part of team processes. As the team leader, you can often step backand allow the team to function by its own methods.

* Performing is the team working at optimal levels. Many of the kinks have beenworked out, and this team now functions well as a unit. Communication andproblem-solving channels are clear, and everyone is working together tocontribute to overall team goals. You are still participating, but entrustingthe team with more responsibility for its own success.

* Adjourning is when a team disbands or changes at a project's completion. Thisis a stage worth noting. Team members feel appreciated when there is a chance tocelebrate accomplishment and, if necessary, say goodbye. When focusing on orbringing closure to a project, always remember the human element. Part ofadjourning on one project may involve transforming to a new one. If this stagedoes not apply to your team, it is especially important to celebrate even smallaccomplishments throughout the process.

One important point to note about these five stages is that they may notprogress steadily in one direction without ever falling back. Change inleadership or any unanticipated change can throw the team back into storming oreven re-forming. But a strong team won't regress for long and will progress toperforming again with a little guidance, patience, and trust in the process.

Overall, keep in mind that this is a process, prone to flux and change by thesimple nature of being comprised of people, most often of varied ages andbackgrounds. Even those who are similar on most fronts easily vary in style. Addto the mix egos, individual goals, personality types, and personal agendas.Think of teams as living, changing organisms. You are invested in nurturing thisdelicate creature and drawing upon individual strengths to build a team ofpeople acting in concert toward a particular vision or goal. Healthy teamdevelopment is no small feat; it is a job for a skilled, motivated team leader.

A Model of Loyalty and Respect

Your mother was right. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. Forgetpower plays; you may force some modicum of false respect, but you will not gainthe enthusiasm and loyalty that come from being respected and appreciated. Be amodel of loyalty and respect that your team members will want to emulate. Takeit beyond your immediate team by not disrespecting anyone in your team'spresence.

You can discuss a problem with a particular client, confront a sensitive issuewith a team member, or dissect with your team a situation where everything wentwrong, all...