Get It Right at the Start : The First Step

The Team Building Series

Team  Selection is the first actionable and the first step in the process of Team Building and is a vital parameter when it comes to successful teams. 

The Right Skill Mix

For the task at hand we need to carefully examine the  skills required and the experience there in. For a prudent leader, the precise skill sets  are  critical and it is of utmost importance that the team members are able to compensate for each others weaknesses and complement each others strengths. Such a mix of skill and experience keeps  the  checks and balances going and maintaining intellectual equilibrium in the Team.

The Right Disposition

Apart from requisite skills and experience, the frame of mind, the attitude and psychology of the team members is of great importance. An incompatible disposition may lead to conflicts amongst team members, leading to constant infighting and wrangle. Of course there cannot be a complete elimination of conflict, but it should be kept to manageable levels. A bickering team can never achieve team goals.

The antithesis to the above  also has to be looked into. If all team members agree on each and everything, the growth of the team would be stunted . There would be no diverse opinion or  a different perspective and no disruption, which still would lead to under performance. The right disposition therefore is imperative to have the right team balance and to get it right at the start will lay a strong foundation of a successful Team.

Bruce Tuckman’s Stage of Forming 

In the 1960s Bruce Tuckman developed a framework for Team Building, in which Forming is the first stage. The exercise above is part of this stage. In Forming, as the team members are   selected there is excitement and nervousness in equal measure. The team  members are raring to go and at the same time are skeptical of how they would fit in the new team. To allay the fears and to channelise the positivity into a constructive outcome, a good orientation programme is required.

“1892 is not only an ordinary year but it is the time of existence of a football giant, a rare legend of the 21st century that does not smell of blood and tears. It is the year of birth of a club which wrote a history that not only must be read but must also be memorized.
Shortly after the club founded, it became the nightmare of first the Premier League clubs and then other clubs around the World. There was no team it didn’t defeat and no fan group it didn’t upset. Within 125 years, it won 18 league championships, 5 European cups, 7 FA cups, 8 league cups, 3 UEFA Super Cups, 15 Charity Shield Cups, ve 3 FA Youth Cups”

Red White Love: The Love of Liverpool F.C., page I– Mustafa DONMEZ

The above is an excerpt from the book Red White Love: The Love of Liverpool F.C authored by Mustafa Donmez. Liverpool FC is one of the most successful Football Teams and has over the years ticked all boxes when it comes to Team Building.

The Team Building series next  will feature developing a Good Orientation Programme and a Kick off Strategy, thus completing Tuckman’s Forming Stage. Keep watching this space @ rizkhan.in

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