Be clear about the purpose

A team needs to know what it is trying to achieve if it is going to deliver consistently high performance.  As the leader of the team you need to make sure that the outcomes or results are clear and completely unambiguous.

Get the right people on board

What makes a team succeed is having the right people, with the right mix of skill, experience and personal attributes.  Take the time to select the best possible people for the team and if you are inheriting a team, take the time to discover what the team has to offer.

Empower people to deliver

Too often in teams leaders tend to micro manage rather than making it clear what is to be delivered and then empowering people to make it happen.  On the other hand the best leaders focus on bringing out the best in each team member.

Listen a lot

Ever been in teams where people are more interested in giving their own opinions rather than listening to each others views?  Trouble is when it comes to communication people are often skilled at verbal and written communication but less skilled at listening.  Train your team to become great listeners.

Be clear on roles and responsibilities

There are always lots of different activities and roles to be undertaken in the team.  As the leader, make sure that everyone on the team is crystal clear on what they are expected to deliver.

Focus on team accountability

There may be a leader of the team but it is vitally important to make sure that the team as a collective is responsible for delivering the results.  As the leader, creating dependencies is an important contributor to people working together effectively.

Bottom Line – Teams have the potential to deliver great results.  So what steps do you need to take to create more success in your team?