A Team Leader’s Alphabet – Letter K

K is for KITA (Kick in the A**).  This one is a no-no.  Managing a team through KITA is a sure way to destroy team effectiveness.  Nobody wants to work for a team leader who threatens and bullies team members.   This is a short series of posts from one of my upcoming books, “A […]

A Team Leader’s Alphabet – Letter J

J is for Juggling.  Almost everybody is juggling a whole lot of balls these days.  A high performing team can help each other with this issue.  There is strength in numbers when everybody is pulling in the same direction. This is a short series of posts from one of my upcoming books, “A Team leader’s […]

A Team Leader’s Alphabet – Letter I

I is for Interdependence.   Even though team members may appear to have disparate jobs and deliverables, there are still ways that a team can and should develop and appreciate the interdependence of team members. This is a short series of posts from one of my upcoming books, “A Team leader’s Alphabet,” containing simple and […]

A Team Leader’s Alphabet – Letter H

H is for Honesty.  A better name for this is candor, but the “C” is already taken.  Team members need to feel free to say what’s on their minds, as long as it’s done in a way that doesn’t attack others. This is a short series of posts from one of my upcoming books, “A […]

A Team Leader’s Alphabet – Letter G

G is for Goals.  As the team leader, you need to work with your team to make sure you’re in synch not only about your goals for the group but also individuals’ goals for their own deliverables.   Encourage team members to develop their own goals and then discuss and modify as needed.  If they […]

A Team Leader’s Alphabet – Letter F

F is for Flexibility.  Flexibility is the ability to see many sides of a problem and to work together to develop many alternatives in searching for team actions.  This is most effective when you ensure that diverse personalities and opinions are at the table.  Flexibility is ALSO the ability to modify your style in order […]

A Team Leader’s Alphabet – Letter E

E is for Educate.  The team leader needs to develop his or her people by providing educational and training opportunities.  If the budget is tight, figure out creative ways to make this happen. This is a short series of posts from one of my upcoming books, “A Team leader’s Alphabet,” containing simple and direct tips […]

A Team Leader’s Alphabet – Letter D

D is for Devil’s Advocate.  One way to encourage constructive “conflict” is to appoint a Devil’s Advocate, who is assigned the job of poking holes in strategies and actions in meetings.  The leader of the team needs to bless this activity and never, ever react defensively when the DA does his or her job.  This […]

A Team Leader’s Alphabet – Letter C

C is for Conflict.   Despite the fact that most of us dislike the idea of conflict, it can be a positive thing IF team members understand how to deal with it.  Without constructive conflict, a team becomes susceptible to group think, and that can lead to major problems if no one is pointing out […]

A Team Leader’s Alphabet – Letter B

B is for Buffer.  It’s your job to buffer your team from some of the demands of upper management and to find ways to influence upward to provide the resources your team members need.  And never bad-mouth upper management to your team.. This is a short series of posts from one of my upcoming books, […]