Teamwork and Leadership

2/16/2008

Preface
This article is mainly about teamwork within businesses and for the leaders out there. Then again you don't need a title to lead. This is for all the coaches out there.

So what is a leader?
What's a leader? A leader is defined by someone who has the ability to gain willing cooperation of others to accomplish a common goal. Leadership is all about the "willing" part. John Maxwell says, people have to know you care before they care what you know.

Teamwork
Everyone knows how important it is. Think of your business or your daily life as a professional football team. Now everyone on that team is not the greatest quarterback but once you put them in positions to prove their ability you get a well rounded team. What's the sound of one hand clapping though? Not a whole lot of noise. You've got to make sure that clear goals are set and the people on your team know what they are fighting for. Give each person on your team an area of responsibility and then agree that everyone is going to hold each other mutually accountable that all agreed terms are going to be upheld.

I can do all things but not everything
Feel as if you have too much on your plate? Well you might at times. My biggest flaw is that I take on too much workload or I assume responsibility for things that I have no business trying to tackle. Excellent time management is achieved once you understand that you can do all things but you can't possibly do everything. Empowering people around you to pick up the weight and provide are keep points in successfully managing your time. Time for the twist - allow me to be contradicting for the moment though: I personally hate it when I hear people with bad attitudes saying, "It's not my job." At some point you've got to though. Teamwork in a sense has an expiration date. If your team isn't "teaming" then you've got to do what it takes for corrective action. Move folks around. Make them stay on their toes. Often people are simply bored and under perform because they are uninterested in their work. You can't have the just do it mentality when it comes to time management. If you take it all on you'll be burn out before you know it. It's all about pre-planning and giving direction.

Coach and develop
Everyone on your team should be doing what they can to get to the top of the ladder. As a team leader it's your responsibility to make sure that your helping them get up the rungs of the ladder. Being systematic and ensuring that everyone around you have the proper tools to keep advancing will only make your job easier.