Rick Koelsch
As discussed previously, three fundamental building block are critical to effective teams (see August 21, 2012 blog below). My previous blog discussed commitment to a common vision. Katzenbach and Smith suggests that assembling the right people (and skill sets) is a second fundamental building block for a successful team. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, agrees that getting the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the team is fundamental to an organization's success.
Success will require a focus on collecting the right set
of complementary skills. Most teams focus on gathering the right technical
skills, one important aspect of this task. However, the team also needs the
right mix of problem-solving and decision-making skills. Finally, the team
needs individuals with the essential interpersonal skills such as conflict
resolution, active listening, communications, commitment to team success over
individual success, and risk taking, and communications.
The team also needs to bring together a diversity of ideas and
approaches to problems. Some of the most innovative solutions to problems
result from a integration to two or more very diverse ideas.
Some skill sets can be taught (e.g. conflict
resolution and active listening) while other skills (e.g.Team goal focused vs. Individual goal focused) or are slow to develop. As you
consider team members to be invited, it is critical that these individuals have
in place those skill sets that are slow to develop.
Consider some of the
following diagnostic questions to help identify if the right people with the right skills are being invited to
the team.
- Does your team assemble some of your organization’s more talented people?
- Do the people invited see their own success in terms of the team's success? Leave individuals with egos or focused on personal success off the team.
- Do the team members invited have the right work ethic? Self-motivated individuals dedicated to fulfilling their commitments create a culture of accountability.
- Does your team come from diverse backgrounds, age, and life experiences? Teams lacking diversity often struggle with recognizing alternative approaches.
- Are there one or more integrators on your team? Integrators are those who listen carefully to the variety of ideas being presented in group discussions and assemble those diverse ideas into proposed solutions.
