A team is a harmonized group of individuals for different tasks geared towards meeting a particular goal. As a leader in an organization or for a given project, you must have team members who are goal-oriented, committed, and highly motivated. The roles and responsibilities of each team member must be clear to you. Most importantly, as a leader be very deliberate on the criteria, selection method, and how you integrate members into the team.
This article will show you how to develop a rich reserve of potential team members from which to recruit, select the right team members, and develop a collaborative and productive work environment.
HOW TO SOURCE FOR TEAM MEMBERS
There are a number of ways that you can use to source for new team members to meet a given goal or project. But before that, you must know exactly what you are looking for, the skillsets, character, and qualifications needed for the successful execution of the project or job.
The following are ways you can find new team members:
Recommendation from people you trust – Ask these people whether they know someone who meets your criteria.
Direct contact – You can directly reach out to someone who has impressed you with their work and character.
Explore relationships with training programs, educational institutions, and offer opportunities for trainees or students.
Contact former colleagues – You can reach out to your former colleagues with whom you have worked well in the past and who also have an impeccable character.
Advertisement – You can advertise these positions through social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
SELECTING YOUR TEAM MEMBERS
Detailed Interview Process – Use a detailed interview process that empowers you to assess your prospective team member’s skills, knowledge, competencies, and attitude. The goal is to properly evaluate each candidate’s credentials and make the right decision at the end of the day.
Take Your Time – It is always better to spend time on selecting strong team members than making a hasty selection and then dealing with a poor choice. This does not in any way mean unnecessarily prolonging the process, thereby wasting time that could be used for other productive activities.
Quality Recruitment Panel – Involve colleagues or existing team members as well as partners in the recruitment and interview process. You are most likely to miss some vital details when you do it alone. However, different people bring a diversity of thought and perspective, and also observe different things about the candidates during an interview process. By involving others in the recruitment process, you are already taking the first steps in integrating them onto the team.
Keep this at the back of your mind as you conduct the hiring process: That you are building a team. And the success of your team is not only dependent on skills and qualifications but also the team working seamlessly as one body. If a candidate has the required skills and qualifications, do they also possess the attitude to work well with the rest of the team and align with team goals and aspirations?
MANAGING A TEAM
It is important to develop a collaborative and productive work environment for a high-functioning team. It is your duty as a leader to ensure that your team meet any given target and deliver quality job always.
The following are what you can do to ensure that the work environment is collaborative and productive:
- Clear Individual and Team Performance Goals, Objectives, and Work Plans
High functioning and productive team is a collection of individuals who know why they and the others are on the team. Establish clear performance goals, objectives and work plans for each individual and the team. Your team members must have a clear understanding of your expectations of them, conflict resolution, rewards & promotion, and how you expect the team to make suggestions and receive feedback.
- Encourage Responsibility
Responsibility has a way of bringing out the best and potentials from people. Give your team members responsibility so they feel a sense of ownership for the vision and when they do, they will run with the vision with little, or no supervision. In addition, understand that everyone has something to teach and contribute.
- Lead by Example
To create a productive work environment, it is important you lead by example. Inspire your team members through your conduct, work ethics, and professionalism. Be someone people can look up to. You really need to model behaviors like being humble, transparent, honest, authentic, bold — and demonstrate your passion and commitment to your organization’s mission. Above all, these must be consistent.
- Know Your Team Members
By getting to know them you will better understand what motivates them, their challenges, and their limitations. You will also learn the depth of talent and skills available to you at any given time in case of new or developing projects, and you will develop a genuine respect for their contributions to your organization. In turn, they will be loyal to you.
- Encourage Professional Development
Inculcate the habit of continuous learning and development in your team members. Encourage professional development and the willingness to learn best practices from others on the team and other parts of the organization. Sharing of information encourages empathy and strengthens the team’s resilience.
- Monitor and Evaluate Individual Achievements
Create a system to monitor and evaluate individual achievements. Ensure you give frequent positive feedback and credit to others. Do not be afraid to give constructive feedback. When you do this, however, make sure you create opportunities for your team members to develop professionally. Criticize constructively and always support your team, they expect your support. Help your team members to address personal and professional crises and work with them to ensure team and organizational goals are still being met.
In conclusion, having a strong, and diverse team that you can trust and count on is a sure way your organization will be successful. Be proactive and very observant to notice any sign of conflict, and act quickly to resolve it. In conflict resolution be fair and just, never show any sign of partiality. When they know they can trust and count on you, they will give you their best.
