Part 1
Patrick Lencioni, a renowned leadership and team-building consultant, presents an analysis of how to build effective teams in three videos. These videos are examined as below. In the video Building and Leading a High Performance Team, Lencioni examines the need for a leader in a team. He goes ahead to state the characteristics of a good leader. As discussed in class, Lencioni also points out that the most important character of a leader is to maintain contact with his team. The team can maintain a charismatic relationship with their leader but they should also be free to communicate with him/her with great ease. The leader should accord praise to a job well done by the team. He/she should continually motivate the team and continue to highlight the mistakes of the team and guide them on how to make corrections. This will not only build trust between the leader and the team but also create a conducive environment for the team’s activities.
In the second and the third video, Patrick Lencioni on Teamwork and the Five Dysfunctions of a Team respctively, Lencioni further elaborates on the need for a leader in a team. He discusses in length the characteristics of a good leader and from this discussion, certain themes can be established. According to Lencioni, a good leader should have the ability to subdue the interests of each team member and accommodate them in those of the group. A team leader should also be a good communicator, mediator and above very disciplined. He/she should respect the ideas, ideologies and feelings of every team member and create an environment where everyone can co-exist in peace.
Part 2
In order to come up with a competent team, there are certain steps I would undertake to achieve this. These steps are outlined as follows. The first step is to appreciate the need for teamwork. Most teams fail because they do not understand what brought them together as a single unit. Acknowledging the necessity of cooperation can take many forms e.g. each individual should know that they cannot accomplish a particular goal on their own and therefore need to pool their efforts and pursue the goal as one entity. The team should understand that the strategic synergy of the team outweighs by far each individual’s energy and talents.
The subsequent step would be to bring people together. These people would be the members of the team. This step is also one that challenges people. Most of the time we find ourselves forming groups with our friends regardless of the talents and other unique attributes they would bring to the team. It is important for the team to be diverse not only in people but also experiences. Each member should have a specific talent that they bring forth. For instance, during a class project last year, I was forced to work with classmates that I do not get along with. This is because they were experienced with PowerPoint and classroom presentations and I on the other hand was well acquainted with conducting research. At the end of the project, we had become closer friends.
The third step is delegation of duties, responsibilities and authority. It is at this point that the team will elect a leader who is going to guide them through the project. The leader should be a person who will be able to direct and motivate the team without fear or favor. Each team member should also be assigned a task and appropriate power and authority that will enable him/her to accomplish the task. There should also clear definition of duties to avoid any conflict of responsibilities.
As every team member continues to work on the assigned task, it is important to monitor progress to prevent any deviations from the primary objective. The team leader should continually check the status of the project, applauding high-performing team members and motivating low-performing members to catch up with the others. The team leader should also open a forum where the team members can shares their experiences, concerns and address any challenges or obstacles the team may be facing. When the team is able to establish the challenges they face and address them together, the team becomes closer and tightly knit which fosters success and facilitate membership.
Finally, it is important for the team to celebrate its accomplishments. The team should not await for project completion to celebrate but should practice a culture of celebrating the small wins. This will further motivate the team to pursue and accomplish the bigger objectives. This will also foster success and facilitate membership.
