As a leader you have to take people with you to deliver your
vision, goals and objectives.
The individuals who will help you achieve this the most is
your team. Yet how much training or development have you had to lead a team?
True teams are dynamic, constantly evolving and adapting to
their environment. Developing a
team to this level takes time and attention, and the truth is no one teaches us how to build
and develop teams. We’re magically supposed to know what to do when you are
given a team.
I recently delivered a module of a leadership programme on leading teams
and I shared one of the first models of team leadership I came across and found
really useful.
It’s simple – which is why I like it, although like all things simple
they aren’t always easy to apply. However I think this is an exception!
The model I’m referring to is John Adair’s Action Centred Leadership
model.
There are 3 elements for this model and according to Adair each require
attention in any leadership situation:
Task
Team
Individual
The degree to which they need attention will depend on what’s going on in
each area along side any external influences. It is the role of the leader to
balance the needs of all three areas.
Task
This may be the completion of something practical and tangible or
something less tangible.
- What is the task in hand?
- What is the goal or outcome you are trying to achieve?
- What is your strategy to accomplish this?
- Is everyone in the team clear about this?
Team
The task can only be achieved if all the team are working together with
the same aim in mind. Therefore, the team as an entity needs to be understood
in it’s own right.
- What are the working relationships like in the team?
- How are people relating to each other?
- Are they playing to each other’s strengths?
- Do they support and challenge each other?
- Are they clear about each other’s roles and responsibilities?
Individual
Whilst the team will develop it’s own form the individuals in the team
also need to be understood. Their
needs must continue to be met if their motivation and team performance is to be
maintained.
- Do you know what motivates each individual?
- What is important to them about the work they do?
- What are their aspirations and strengths?
- Where is their next growth edge?
Bringing it to
life
The question for you to consider right now is; where do you spend most of
your time?
AND I wouldn’t be surprised if you said task. In my experience it’s where
most people spend their time!
As a leader your role is to set direction and take people with you so the
2 most important areas of this model are the team and the individuals. If you
harness these two, the team will take care of the task and your job is then to
monitor all three areas and support, redirect ‘get stuck in’ where needed to
keep things moving forward.
It needs constant tweaking and adjusting to stay on
track - think of it as you
steering a sailing boat. You
constantly have to keep an eye on where you are going and pay attention to what
is going on in your environment.
- Are you being blown off track by the elements – what adjustment do you need to make?
- Do you have to pull into harbour and take stock, refuel?
- Do you need to be patient until the right conditions appear to make the journey as efficient as possible?
- Are the crew fully occupied and playing to their strengths?
- Do you notice someone who is de-motivated?
If you have any tips on effectively leading teams I’d love
to hear them - leave a comment below.
“Only three things happen naturally in organizations: friction,
confusion and underperformance. Everything else requires leadership.”
Peter Drucker
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