SUCCESSFUL TEAMS

Successful Teams

 

Recently a city organization decided to have a strategic planning retreat for their senior staff.  Part of the two day event was to include the use of an assessment to facilitate the learning of each other’s leadership style(s).  Unfortunately, some of the members of this team believed, and openly stated to the local news reporter, that this kind of interaction was ‘touchy-feely’ and hardly a necessary component to a strategic planning session. How unfortunate it is that a leader of a medium size city believes and voices such a backward opinion about team development. 

 

Without an understanding of the gifts and talents each member brings to the success of any team, divisive behavior is often the outcome rather than the solution.  Learning about these gifts can only enhance the effectiveness of the group and reduce tension.  There are a number of adequate assessments that can facilitate this process, and if used by a talented facilitator, can lead to immense understanding of the unique differences each person brings to organization.  However, the best on the market as far as I am concerned is an assessment that has come out of the UK called Insights Discovery.  The ability for each participant to understand their own individual characteristics and then to transform that data to reflect the entire team is extremely advantageous.  When each person can understand how to interact and communicate and, maybe best of all, not communicate with a co-worker, each will be contributing to the success of the mission or project with a strength of purpose they never had before. If this is ‘touch-feely’ than I support it and hope that all companies and leaders embrace such learnings.

 

The talent to lead a team of people through a difficult project or a difficult time for the organization, is not unique but it is unappreciated.  Leaders are people who are able to move forward in good times as well as stressful ones with their staff giving full support to the mission and the leader

 

When we can commit to the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, success is guaranteed.

 

 

Madeleine York

York Career Development, Inc.

Houston-Austin

866-502-8258 office

512-565-8506 mobile

www.yorkinc.com

myork@yorkinc.com