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Description of  Leading Teams: A Practical Guide

Creating a successful team takes more than throwing a group of people together and saying "Now you're a team. Let's get to work." Teamwork doesn't happen automatically. In fact, when a new team first comes together, there's often a period of uncertainty, mistrust, and conflict. What happens during this critical time can make or break not only the team's ability to meet its goal but also the team itself.If your organization decides to take a team approach, it's crucial for you, the team leader, to make the effort to set the stage for success during the Forming phase of team development. The main purpose of this course is to show you how to bring together a group of individuals and turn that group into a true team.But what exactly is a true team? And how does it differ from a regular work group? Well, in a traditional work group, members don't work toward a common purpose. Each person is accountable only to himself and doesn't depend on the rest of the group.Now compare this to a team. A true team is typically comprised of a small number of individuals whose skills complement each other. A team works toward the same purpose and goals this is its reason for being. And members of an effective team are open and honest. They feel like they can count on each other.Now that you know what a team is, consider some of the benefits of taking a team approach: you'll have group buy-in, with the result being more motivation and better performance, you'll be able to pool expertise and resources, and you'll find that the team has better ideas and problem-solving abilities than an isolated employee.Leading a team is like being the captain of a ship. You'll have to ride the calms and storms, but with the support of your crew, you'll reach your final destination. This course will focus on the formation phase of team development, and will provide you with strategies to ensure your team succeeds in spite of the storms you encounter.As team leader, one of the most important jobs you will perform is building the foundation for an effective, high performance team.Ultimately, it's the team leader who's responsible for team success. The sooner you can get your team working as a united force, the better its chances of success. As team leader, you need to concentrate on building a productive and effective team early in the team-building stage.Team leaders who fail to put the work in up front to build a strong, productive team run the risk of developing a team hampered by a lack of direction, internal conflict, and misassigned team roles. All of which can result in the team failing to achieve its objectives.Three areas are particularly important when building an effective team. It's important to establish team goals in the early stages of team building to set the team's direction. The team leader's job is to provide the leadership necessary to establish team goals. However, this is a team activity and must involve all team members.Assigning the right people to the right roles is important because, when done correctly, the effectiveness of the team increases. Team leaders are responsible for assigning roles, and they must assign the right people to the right roles based on ability. This helps ensure the team achieves its objectives or goals.Establishing effective guidelines for the conduct of the team is important because it helps the team work together. Team leaders have to take a proactive role in working with the team to define guidelines for conduct so that everyone is certain about how to behave, communicate, and work together.The team leader plays the key role in building a successful team. As you perform the role of team leader, work with your entire team to establish and agree on the team's goals, roles, and guidelines for conduct. Doing so will greatly improve your chances for success.