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TEAM CHECKUP 12 Benchmarks for Creating a Championship Level Business Team! James A. DeSena, CSP No one would expect a sports team to just go out and play. They recruit, train and practice. They learn to execute the fundamentals exceedingly well. Yet, too often with business teams, we expect people to naturally work well together. They may or may not and if you are depending on this team for your success, you don't want to take a chance. For your team to perform well and to continue performing well, you must take time out to critically review the way you work as a team, looking not just at the outputs or results, but the process used to get those results. Here is a checklist of 12 points to examine: 1. Is everyone clear on the purpose, goal or goals of the team? How do the goals support the needs of the customers (internal or external) the team serves? (Since a team, to be a team, must share a common goal or purpose, the team must meet this criteria, must be clear about the purpose or goal and the purpose or goal must strongly be supported across functional boundaries.) 2. Is the team organized to respond quickly and proactively? 3. Does it have the support and resources it needs to carry out its responsibilities? 4. Is everyone clear on the role of each team member? Do people step out of their roles when necessary to serve the customer? (People don't say "It's not my job!") 5. Is the communication between team members working well? 6. When changes in the environment, assumptions, resources or constraints happen, are they quickly communicated to everyone? 7. Is each team member valued for his or her input and is it sought from each? 8. Is discussion and disagreement prior to setting goals not just tolerated, but encouraged? How much of the team's time is spent generating creative ideas? 9. How does the team interact with other teams in the organization? 10. Do team members have the skills needed to do their jobs (individually and collectively)? How are new team members made to feel a part of the team? 11. How often does the team meet, how efficient and effective are the meetings, what are the results and how does the team learn from its experience? 12. What is the trust level in the team? What is done to foster it, what happens to undermine it? How does the team address this issue? With all of the questions above, you can add "How do you know?" What methods do you have to get the answers? Have you sought data not just from team members, but from customers, vendors or other team resources? How reliable and accurate are the methods? For example, if you were to ask team members if they know what the goals of the team are, they may respond that of course they know. Even if you ask during a meeting, you can't be sure once the first one says something what the others are really thinking. Instead, collect this data independently, and at first, anonymously. This will provide more reliable data. Just be prepared to not react defensively. Don't blame team members if they've misunderstood. With patience, communicate again. To find out how your team can use our team-building, sales, leadership and personal/professional development tapes, books, seminars, speeches and systems to be more effective in less time, call 1 (800) 4321-WIN for a Free Consultation. © 1990, 1995 James A. DeSena, CSP, Performance Achievement Systems, Inc. salesleaders.com 800-4321-WIN All Rights Reserved. Back to salesleaders.com Home Page Back to Top of Page

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