Leadership and Team Building
Posted online in 2001
The world of business is changing. We hear talk of downsizing, rightsizing, reducing overhead, restructuring, eliminating costs, increasing productivity, the list goes on... all in an effort to help us produce a business that we believe will be more fun, less stressful, more satisfying, higher in profit and easier to manage. Unfortunately, the employees are often the brunt of the trial and error method, when in fact they should be the logical way to increase productivity and decrease operating expenses. Team development presents office managers and business owners alike with unique challenges in accomplishing this mission.
Employees don't become members of a high-performing team by themselves. Instead, the leaders of the organization must learn how to help employees become a team. Until this happens, what you may have thought was a team in the past may be little more than a "group" of people working under the same roof. Today it is recognized that to have a well-run, effective business leadership must be more knowledgeable and competent in dealing with and developing people. This most definitely includes increased communication skills. The real objective is to bring people together to accomplish the mission and work towards the vision.
The most successful businesses will be those that have demonstrated the greatest commitment to their people. This means creating an atmosphere where team members feel a sense of belonging. It means doing whatever it takes to develop people. Leaders need to remove the fear factor in their organization so people can feel comfortable voicing their thoughts without feeling put down. He or she must welcome suggestions and input from team members. The team members must know and believe that their input is welcomed. How can one feel a part of an organization (a family, church or whatever else) if they are never listened to...never taken seriously? Too often they are shot down with "we've already tried it and it didn't work," or "that won't work," or "I want to do it another way." Whatever is said, the employee feels ridiculed, stupid, and at the very least unappreciated. This is a demotivator every single time. In fact, it is important for the leader to have as many ideas as possible. It is amazing that the more information we have, the better the decision we can usually make and the easier and faster we can change once the preferred course of action is decided upon. The leader must also realize that dynamic teams are not run by any one person who dominates the team. The strong team allows, encourages and expects participation in the decision making process by each and every member.
Just as important in developing people is knowing when it is time to allow someone the opportunity to move on. It is unfair to the effective, participating team members to have one person dragging down the rest of the team. It is true that one bad apple eventually spoils the whole bunch. The leader must make the decision that is in the best interests of the team...which will be in the best interests of the individual who is not a participating member of the team as well. No one likes to feel out of place, and I don't believe anyone really likes to do a job poorly. When the shoe doesn't fit, it's time to give it to someone who it will fit, and to find a shoe that will fit you. The easiest thing is to be honest and direct, in a kind and caring way. Sometimes insensitive remarks are made in the name of honest and openness and they usually do the greatest amount of damage. Unfortunately the damage doesn't end with the terminating employee or leader, but it reverberates throughout the organization. When this happens team members will lose the bonding that is so necessary for their success and you, as leader, will lose their respect which will isolate you from your team.
The bottom line is that a leader must lead the team through great times and through the tough times, when they are flying high or when they are feeling down. The leader must be a builder of self-esteem, a supporter, and an encourager. These are just a few of the tasks that are important today in the development of the team.
There are a number of aspects of the team to be aware of, and one of the greatest is accountability, both from the leaders and the team members. There are five principles involved here.
In order for accountability to be effective, it must begin with me.
If you do not hold others accountable, they will not and cannot reach their fullest potential.
If you do not hold others accountable, they will eventually lose respect for you.
In order for accountability to be effective, it must be consistent.
The psychological law of learning is that behaviors which are reinforced will most likely recur.
This means the buck stops here. It means that as leader we are responsible for hiring appropriate people for our practice, and creating the atmosphere and expectations that will bring about the kind of team we desire to have. Most companies, most dental practices, think they have accountability, but often this is not the case. When accountability is not present much of the potential of the team is wasted. Organizations of all kinds and sizes today often lack a clear and understandable structure that makes their leaders and team members accountable for their work. Perhaps some fear that individual leadership by team members and accountability will somehow destroy a team effort. In fact, just the opposite is true. Unclear or fuzzy accountability damages morale and causes people to seek self-interest type solutions rather than solutions that are best for the entire practice. Accountability is a basic principle of business success and must be built into the leadership structure of the practice. When it is, productivity, effectiveness, efficiency and profitability will follow.
Stephen Covey says it well, "The basic role of the leader is to foster mutual respect and to build a complementary team, where each strength is made productive, and each weakness is irrelevant." Again, teams don't just happen. They must be developed, trained, nurtured, cultivated, and pruned. Most people know what a team is and how it works. They don't understand that without supportive interaction a team won't exist. They don't necessarily understand their individual responsibilities as a team member, as well as to the entire team. We must be willing to teach them...and we must teach them.
©2001 Cheryl Matschek
