Teambuilding Skills for Managers and Supervisors by James Kronefield

The ability to build a team is an essential aspect of the management skills required for all managers and supervisors to be successful.. Managers need to be able to take a group of individuals, with different experience, skills and performances and get them working together as a team. At times this can be a daunting challenge.

Managers don't always get to choose who is on their team. Often managers inherit a team and many of the team members have been working there far longer than the manager, and may know more about the work and have many years of experience behind them.. Whatever the situation, it is the role of a manager to motivate the team to all work together an one unit, not as individuals.. . Typically teams are comprised of very diverse members, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and work styles. The team dynamics can also often complicated by internal disagreements and personal conflicts. Managers, not only have to work with this group of people, but also need to achieve the results expected by their superiors.

The old style model of the manager taking the role of authority, giving out instructions and expecting loyalty and compliance no longer is an effective style. Typically the model that is the most effective today is that of a team coach. This management style is similar to that of the coach of a sports team. Using this analogy, this article will discuss some of the key skills involved in building an effective team .There are some important teambuilding skills required for getting results. These include the ability to:

Analyze the Players

Before building a team the manager needs to take a close look at the players he has to work with. Take each player plot and analyze their performance by identifying their skills and attitudes. Look at the strengths and weaknesses of the individual players.

Create a Game Plan

Look at the results that the team needs to be able to achieve, and determine which players have the best strengths required to complete the job effectively. Strategically position the players, balancing strengths and weaknesses using as many of the players strengths as possible.

Clarify the Goals and Objectives

Share the game plan. Team members need the 'so what' answered, and the freedom to give feedback and suggestions. Give clear expectations, and timelines

Coach, Train and Encourage

Throughout the process it is important to follow up, clarify, coach and train individual players as necessary.

Reward and Celebrate

Recognize, and celebrate checkpoints, milestones and accomplishments, both large and small. Keep positive and hold up the vision of the goal and purpose.

Recognize the Team and not Individuals

To build a sense of team always recognize the team in public, and let the players recognize individuals. Individual effort should only be recognized privately.

There are many similarities to the sports coach analogy for managers in the business setting. Watch the sports coach and you will soon build a team that works well together, and are motivated to achieve the goals.

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