Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.

These days, leaders are required to be more facilitative, participative and visionary than in the past.  Embrace the leadership aspect of management and supervision to maximize your influence and success.

 

Many leaders solve problems by reacting to them. Do you ever find yourself in this "reactive" mode? Give yourself a break and increase your effectiveness by practicing a rational approach to problem solving. The following basic guidelines will get you started.

 

Define, do not react. You may have just walked into the office. Perhaps you have not even had your first sip of coffee, and someone approaches you with an urgent issue. Instead of reacting to what you think the problem is, take a few minutes to define the problem and verify your complete understanding.  

 

Break down the problem. Are you actually looking at a number of related issues, versus one, larger problem? If so, then you can start by breaking down the related issues and considering ways to tackle each one.

 

Prioritize. You may be looking at several related problems.  Take the time to prioritize them. Are these problems important or urgent? In the long run, the more you tackle important problems, the fewer urgent problems you will have.

 

Identify alternatives. Until now, all managers or supervisors in your position may have been handling these situations in a similar manner. Push yourself to consider the issue in a brand new way.

 

Roll out an action plan. Consider how the situation will be perceived by your department or team after you have implemented the solution. Is this going to appear as though it is the same half-solution that the previous manager or supervisor implemented? If so, then give yourself a little more time to come up with an alternative plan.

 

Let implementation begin. Contact all of the key players, garner the resources you need, and get them rolling. Check back as the day progresses to be sure that the solutions are being implemented. As the manager or supervisor, you are the one to consider how you might avoid this type of problem in the future. By doing this, you are taking one more "reactive" situation off of another day, when you will be able to get started on moving everyone ahead, instead of tackling an immediate situation as you begin your work day.

 

 

There are many methods and models for fostering a cohesive, effective team. Any of them could work well in your organization. Perhaps you have tried a few theories and have come up with some of your own "teamwork best practices" that are particularly helpful for you and your team members.

 

Regardless of the steps you use to facilitate a successful team, one trait that crosses all teamwork methods is employee involvement. If you can effectively include the team at each step of the way, you will retain employees and foster an environment that motivates participants to contribute and invest in the cause.

 

The how of involving team members is often the most challenging part of the process; once you get them involved, you will be on your way. Successful employee involvement comes from following a continuum that leads to decreased influence by you, the leader, and increased influence and decision- making power by the team members.

 

First, communicate and sell your idea. The supervisor makes the decision and announces it to staff, providing complete direction. Gain commitment from team members by "selling" the positive aspects of the plan.

 

Now, confer, invite others to join and delegate. Even though the leader retains authority to make the final decision, she still invites input. Let employees know that their input is needed but final authority still rests with the manager. Follow this up by inviting team members to make the decision with the supervisor. At this stage, the supervisor considers his voice equal in the decision process.