4 Essential Laws of Team Building Every Leader Should Know

    A leader’s duties can seem like an ever-growing list of bullet points, but the priority for CEOs, CFOs and staff managers alike is always the same: leading their team. The big question is, “how?” In order for your company to prosper, you must figure out how to build a team that works well together. According to Glenn Llopis, team building is both an art and a science and the leader who can consistently build high performance teams is worth their weight in gold. Many organisations have suffered because the leaders gave little or no attention to sustaining the motivation and performance of their staff. So here are 4 things you should work on in order to build an effective team. The Law Of Style Everyone has his own style of leading and working, and so do you. We are not usually aware of it. How well are your techniques accepted by your team? What effects does it have on your team and their general performance? Psychologist Kurt Lewin, established three major leadership styles which are authoritarian, democratic or laissez-fair leader. “Hitler approach” doesn’t work in the modern scenario. Although there are more specific types of leadership, a critical self-evaluation will help you know where you belong and how to improve. Law of Specialization and Roles You should assign duties and responsibilities as per their interest and specialization for them to accept the challenge willingly. It takes a good leader to be able to take keen interest in knowing the individual skills and abilities of his team members and assign them requisite roles. Never impose things on them, especially when they are trying to let you know how bad they are in it. If you will need to assign them new roles that are outside their skill zone, you’ll have to seek their consent. Law of Care You don’t want to get too close to your team, but you do want to develop the right camaraderie, team spirit and atmosphere that causes teams to work together well, and allow you to care for your team. As the saying goes, “People don’t leave bad companies; they leave their manager or current situation.” So as the team leader, you should have the ability to engage and retain staff; and there is no better way to do this than by showing enough care. Sometimes showing care can mean asking about their family, paying attention when they talk, or paying for their kid’s surgery. When appropriate, involve family members in your team’s activities. Come to think of it, if you have to keep a husband for more hours, wouldn’t it be nice to personally call the wife and ask for permission? Law Of Recognition and Reward Rewards and recognition can help your staff feel appreciated, which creates a more open, friendly atmosphere. Elizabeth Smith of Demand Media offered her thoughts, “Inspire your team to overcome their issues and work together by providing an incentive. Find out what will motivate your employees the most: cash bonuses, extra paid time off, flexible working schedules or access to corporate perks may work for example. Tie the incentives to performance in a way that fits with your workflow and company structure.” About the author: Richard Okere Jnr is a leadership and business consultant. His passion is to teach individuals and organisations how to grow and achieve better results. He is the chief strategist at Eagleforts Integrated Resources and has written over 300 articles on personal finance, leadership, business and internet Marketing. You can find him on BBM with the pin – 73DE7F65, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/efrichy or visit his blog at www.eagleforts.com