Team Building Disciplines: to Inspire Motivated and Results Oriented Teams

As a team leader, are you inspiring, motivated and results oriented? Maybe you are because you love what you are doing because you are doing what you want to be doing - Team Building.

Somewhere along the way you made a decision, you took control of the things under your control, got to know yourself, your dreams and desires and you paid the price to make your dream a reality by mastering self-discipline and personal leadership. That is what a leader needs to build effective team. Are you a team builder?

This isn't always the case with most team leaders - they don't know how to build teams, because they themselves have not yet built themselves. Many team leaders are not in control of themselves, they are not motivated, inspiring or results-oriented.

Team leaders may not be aware of the fact that to lead, inspire or to motivate others they must first lead inspire and motivate themselves. How can you give something to somebody else if you first don't have it yourself to give? Effective team building is from the inside - out.

You need to take an inside-out approach and take inventory. You need to go to work on yourself for yourself before you can get into team building.

You are the # 1 person in the world. If you can't do it for yourself, how can you do it for anyone else? These disciplines must first be mastered before you could master anything else, and only then can you demonstrate it in team building.

Before you create and build a team you must know why you are creating one and the expected outcomes. But, are you the team leader? If you are, you best understand the job description, roles and behaviors of being a leader and how to increase leadership effectiveness.

A leader no longer directs people but develops self-motivated individuals. They don't manage on a one-on-one basis but build teams that manage more of their own work.

A leader also performs many tasks - from being an administrator to being a psychologist, not to mention being the guardian of the bottom-line. A leader is an enthusiast, a team builder, a good listener and gives credit to others through recognition and praise, while maintaining and demonstrating an outcome orientation.

To build an effective team requires many characteristics. A team must have a purpose. A team's purpose is defined by its mission. The team mission is something that the team intends to do. It is the object for which the team exists as determined by the team leaders and team members.

It is a clearly stated purpose that serves to direct and motivate the team in pursuit of its goals. This is a team building discipline needed in order to inspire a motivated and results oriented team.

The team's mission is driven by the organization's vision. The organization's vision provides a "big picture" perspective that serves to align people, ideas, and attitudes. It must, however, be communicated to team members in such a way that they are inspired to be part of it. To be successful, the team must align its purpose or mission to the organization's vision.

Each member must have a clear understanding of the team goals and what is expected of them. A team goal is an end that the team strives to reach; it directly supports both the mission of the team and the organization's vision. Teams that agree on their agendas can direct their energies towards task accomplishment.

All team members determine effective team goals. When everyone takes part in establishing the overall goals of the team, individuals on the team have a clear understanding of what is expected and can develop a commitment to working with one another in pursuit of team goals. This is a team building discipline needed in order to inspire a motivated and results oriented team.

Within the team you must establish a high degree of communications, trust, support and cohesiveness between members. The team needs to operate under flexible procedures using effective problem solving and decision-making methods. Use of authority in decision making by a team leader in no longer effective.

Using a consultative or still better, a consensus approach where everyone has say, to decision making allows for a greater freedom for team members. This is a team building discipline needed in order to inspire a motivated and results oriented team.

But, there has to be more than just freedom. There has to be an element of fun. Fun is part of the team culture and can be created in many ways. One way could be for the team to create a team name and identity that is reflective of the team's mission and/or it's members. This is a team building discipline needed in order to inspire a motivated and results oriented team.

Team members must know how to run effective meetings through the use of an agenda, ground rules, objective setting procedures, roles and responsibilities. Effective methods for action planning, monitoring, communications, evaluations and follow up should also be reviewed and established.

Each member should also demonstrate appropriate personal, interpersonal and group task behaviors. These are a team building disciplines needed in order to inspire a motivated and results oriented team.

Team members need to be empowered and trusted that they will do the job to the best of their ability. If they are, they are more action-oriented and committed to the implementation of the plan. Be there to coach them, not to direct them. Allow for failures and lessons learned.

The Bottom Line: Demonstrate the appropriate behaviors for team building and the team will follow, but also give them all a chance to participate and to lead.