Working together - effectively

~ From the Mind Gliding® Academy

Relationship:

Mind Gliding are registered business psychologists. Their programmes are tailor-made and directed to personal development within the managerial role. Based upon relationship, they open up the possibilities of development and growth beyond traditional management development training and learning.

People in organisations work better in a "T.E.A.M."

Together
Each member
Achieves
More

Team development is for every member of the team. That includes team leaders, managers and every individual member.

"Development" means improving your ability to:

• Establish goals and standards
• Communicate clearly
• Plan ahead and prioritise
• Handle problems rationally
• Resolve conflicts
• Inspire others

So the message is important. If you follow the ideas in this book you will not only make your team more effective but also make being a member of that team a positive experience for everyone.

Managing is not the same as leading...........

A leader is defined as:
"A member of a team or organisation who is responsible for establishing and communicating clear goals and standards, and then inspiring positive actionstowards their attainment."

A manager is defined as:
"A member of a team or organisation, who is responsible for the daily organisation and utilisation of resources for the achievement of a pre-determined goal."

Clearly, leadership and management are different concepts, yet both could be present in the same person and.....

Leadership and management qualities may be present in any member of a team. Not just the people with the title of Leader or Manager.

Anyone can develop his or her leadership and management skills. And there are real benefits if we all do that.

So from here on we will use the term "Leader- manager", to indicate any member of a team who wants to improve the performance of the team.

Leader-managers are people with good technical ability. But having good technical knowledge does not necessarily mean that a person is good at motivating, communicating and handling people.

Some teams have people who are good at their job, and yet the team may be unable to work effectively together.

A poor working atmosphere, ambiguous instructions and crude methods of handling conflict, limit the effectiveness of a team and therefore its productiveness.

And that costs us all.

There are five "fundamentals" that every Leader-manager must master:

1. Clarity of purpose
2. Clarity in communication
3. Rationality in planning
4. Rationality in managing conflict
5. The ability to inspire positive emotions

But we can't all get it spot-on all the time. From time to time we get things wrong. But that is the way the world is so don't punish yourself. After all, we are human!

Being part of a team means that we try to get it right for our own sake and for the sake of the team.

To get to know the team, start getting to know yourself a bit better and then focus on your team members.