A team is as great as the challenges it faces, overcomes

Team building. People should take away from a training a sense of empowerment and a set of tools. FILE 

By Canute Waswa

In Summary

• A good team building programme should generate commitment and action from each individual member.

The 20th century inventor, industrialist and successful businessman Henry Ford said: “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”

There’s no denying that teamwork is essential for any group or organisation to succeed. Benefits of a cohesive team are invaluable for any organisation.

At the beginning of the year, team development and leadership training has become popular for many companies. So how can you, as a manager, build cohesion in your team?

I will lend you a couple of tips on what to look for in a good team building programme to make your investment in training worthwhile.

Understand strengths and weaknesses

A good team building session will help you to get to know members of the team. What are their strengths and what are their weaknesses?

Allocating work according to people’s ability not only ensures the best results but helps establish clear roles within the group.

Years of research have proved that individuals and teams playing to their strengths significantly perform those which don’t in almost every business metric.

In fact, according to John Kotter, a management guru, the single best predictor of a consistently high-performing team is the answer to this question: “At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?”

Teams with individuals who perfom well perform those with staff who don’t — they’re more profitable, more productive, individuals are less likely to quit, less likely to have accidents on the job… the list goes on.

The research reveals that only 12 per cent of people in the workplace play to their strengths “most of the time!”

Change in paradigm

Ever heard the saying, “we play to the level we are challenged”? The saying exists because there is a lot of truth to it. I have watched countless times a superior sports team lose to a team of lesser talent.

Individuals are responsible for their own performance. However, as a team leader or manager the performance of the team is ultimately yours. It is up to you to challenge your team sufficiently, and if you fail to do that performance will be anything but excellent.

If you fail to create opportunities to challenge your team, passivity can and will set in.