Are you a team player?

Here at North Star, one of our company goals is to continually build our team. Not just in size and depth-but also in trust, leadership and teamwork. It is a simple, but often overlooked, concept. Developing a cohesive team is a critical component to building a healthy organization and also marketing your business effectively. We have been reading "The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team," by Patrick Lencioni. This "leadership fable" explores the fundamental causes of organizational politics and team failure.  Outlined below are the five dysfunctions as identified by Lencioni, followed by a strategy we recommend to address each one.

1. Absence of Trust: This stems from team members' unwillingness to be vulnerable within the group.
• It's hard to trust someone you don't know. Get to know your team members by passing around a personal history questionnaire and having them share their answers with the team.
2. Fear of Conflict: Teams that lack trust are incapable of engaging in unfiltered and passionate debate of ideas.
• Encourage healthy debate within staff meetings-identify a topic of contention and inspire people to speak their minds without fear of repercussion.
3. Lack of Commitment: Without having aired their opinions in the course of passionate and open debate, team members rarely commit to decisions.
• Make it a habit to review the key decisions made during your meetings, and agree on what next steps need to be, and who is responsible for each one.
4. Avoidance of Accountability: Without committing to a clear plan of action, even the most focused and driven people often hesitate to call their peers on counterproductive actions and behaviors.
• A little structure goes a long way toward helping people take action that they might otherwise not be inclined to do. Implement simple and regular progress reviews to provide feedback on behavior and performance.
5. Inattention to Results: This occurs when team members put their own individual needs (such as ego) above the collective goals of the team.
• Make expected results clear. Teams that are willing to commit publicly to specific results are more likely to work hard to achieve those results.