So many clients have been telling me they're launching new
teams this month. But there's a catch - these are new teams
made of "old parts," which is to say no brand new employees
are on the teams. The teams are comprised entirely of
managers, professionals, and staff who have been
reorganized to better meet market demand.
Is it any different launching a brand new team vs. a
reorganized one? I don't think so, but it's easier to blow
it, because of assumptions you make about people you
already know. The steps are the same; it's the nuances that
are different.
Most leaders and their direct reports do a fantastic job of
addressing the goals and business objectives of the team
and of planning the tasks to be done. It's the building of
relationships that is too scant or poorly executed, and
this is why it's essential to build a relationship with
each new team member, and to get any relationship issues
out on the table so they can be addressed. If you don't
have time to deal with relationships now, when exactly will
you? This also gives you a chance to spend time with new
team members and learn who's on board and ready to move
forward with you and who isn't.
Let's look a little more closely at underlying relationship
problems, because they always come back to bite you.
Because your team is comprised of people who already have
working relationships of some sort, you need to understand
what's already going on, who's likely to work well together
to produce results, and if there are problems to be
addressed early on.
You also need to observe what's never going to be fixed
because, frankly, this means you need to eliminate someone
(or several someone's) from this team soon. It sounds
harsh, but it's the truth. I see more leaders drag down
their teams with team members who hate each other, each one
waiting out the other, hoping the hated peer will quit or
get fired. This makes it impossible for the team to get to
work and move the organization forward.
Be sure to check your relationship assumptions at the door,
even as you keep your legitimate concerns. A legitimate
concern is one that's backed up by observed behavior or
reports from reliable and utterly trustworthy sources. If
you've seen two people nearly try to kill each other while
working on separate teams, o.k., you can safely assume
you'll need to do some heavy-duty relationship repair or
eliminate one of them from the team, but remember that
there are plenty of relationship problems and strong points
that are mostly hidden from you. This is true for all
leaders. There are no exceptions. You just can't see
everything that's going on all the time, nor should you in
most cases (that would be micromanagement). But this is
also why you have to ask.
To that end, here's what I see the best leaders doing,
generally in this order:
1. Meet with each of your direct reports one-on-one,
preferably in person, in a private place.
During the one-on-one, ask each direct report to share any
observations or concerns, not just about the business goals
and objectives for the team, but about the team's ability
to work well together to get the job done. Be open about
your own concerns, too, to encourage a frank discussion and
to begin building a trusting relationship with each of your
new direct reports. No, they won't tell you everything,
but you'll at least establish that you want a relationship
characterized by frank exchange.
Ask what he or she needs from you as a leader. You might be
surprised. If you don't ask, you will give your directs
what you want from a leader, not what they want, which is
often different. I'm working with two leaders now whom I'm
convinced are among the most independent people on the
planet. They constantly have to remind themselves that 80%
or more of the managers and professionals in their
organization want what seems like an absurd and downright
insulting level of direction, because their needs are
different.
Share what you need from him or her as a team member and,
in the case of management teams, what you expect from his
or her leadership. So few team members will ask, and this
is incredibly good information to know.
2. Bring the team together for a good, solid launch. That's
launch, not lunch, but food is always a nice addition. Ask
each person what he or she wants to get out of the meeting,
the one thing that will cause them to leave at the end
saying, "Wow, that was a great use of my time on this new
team."
Yes, this does mean a little bit of designing the meeting
on the fly, particularly if you are surprised by some of
their answers. If you or they absolutely hate
improvisation, ask them in advance and build the agenda
accordingly. Have a flipchart in the room and use it to
track the discussion and any decisions made.
Reiterate any important messages that you shared in the
one-on-ones, whether they be business/task-oriented ("the
company missed our sales target by 20% last quarter for the
first time and it's our job to turn that around this very
quarter") or relationship-oriented ("I expect you to work
together, to share resources, and to come to me with
solutions, not just problems. I want you to work out your
differences regardless of whether or not I'm in the room. I
don't plan to play referee; I've got my hands full calming
shareholders.").
3. Do some concentrated teambuilding focused on the
relationship side of the equation; the business/task side
as well, if you need it. I use the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator® (MBTI®) to help people work better
together because it is reliable and valid and I have
delivered proven results with it many times over. I also
occasionally use other tools if I deem them a better fit.
Whatever tool you use, make sure you use it to learn about
each other and your likely team strengths and blind spots
in a non-judgmental manner. Any tool that measures
someone's effectiveness, for example, is terrible for
team-building, because it puts people in a hierarchical
line-up from the most effective to the least effective.
Use a tool that brings people together by helping them
understand their own styles and needs and the styles and
needs of their teammates, not one that designates some
styles as superior, which is impossible to measure, anyway.
4. Collectively set measures for team success. The obvious
measures are the achievement of your business goals, but
what about also measuring some of the things that enabled
that achievement? How about a measure of the quality of
your decision-making process? How about a measure of how
committed you are to work with each other going forward?
How about a measure of how quickly and effectively you were
able to integrate new team members, or respond to changes
in direction or work load or whatever else matters to the
team? The options are endless, but there's merit in
identifying a few measures of how you got there, not just
whether or not you got there.
Happy Launching!
----------------------------------------------------
Jennifer Selby Long, Founder and Principal of Selby Group,
provides executive coaching and organizational development
services. Jennifer's knack is helping clients navigate the
leadership and organizational challenges triggered by
change and growth. She knows firsthand that great plans
often fail because companies don't take into account the
human factors that come into play when implementing them.
Visit Jennifer at: http://selbygroup.com
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