According to the Cambridge Dictionary online, the word effective is defined as ‘successful, or achieving the results that you want’.
If we’re clear on what result we want, and we achieve it, we have succeeded in being effective.
Nice and simple
Already this gives us a clear roadmap to answering the question of what makes an effective team.
Having a clear goal, and clear markers and signs along the way will help us massively achieve effectiveness.
If we don’t set clear goals and routes to get there, we can almost guarantee as individuals and as teams, we will stumble blindly around in the dark, with no clear intention or goal, getting bits and bobs done here and there but generally being ineffective.
This sounds obvious, but how often do we clarify our objectives?
How often do we check in and course correct?
Let’s do a little thought experiment, I invite you to choose which team you are backing:
OR
My money is on team 2. Simply because they are meeting regularly. They are talking to one another and assuming they are sharing honestly with where they are at, they are more likely to make the necessary steps to achieve more effectively what they set out to do.
Quality communication is key to effectiveness
And quality communication is not common.
Let’s say that the team are super clear, super aligned, super pumped for the vision and they get to work, diligently working hard and getting stuff done.
Somewhere down the line, a problem or mistake occurs.
Back to the problem or mistake; one of the team members realises that a part of the work he or she has taken on and promised to be accountable for, has some element to it that they don’t know how to tackle, or they have made an error and it needs fixing.
What is the quickest route to progress?
Name it, acknowledge it and share it with the team and see who can help or take control of the problem element or fault and then get back to work.
Unfortunately, although this sounds simple, if the team member in question has any worry or concern about speaking up in the team, for fear of being seen as ‘less than capable’, or of feeling shame or ridiculed, this person is likely to ignore or avoid the problem for some time, or until it is absolutely necessary to address.
This slows the whole team down. It costs time, energy and valuable resources.
And, it happens a lot.
It is the classic bury-your-head-in-the-sand syndrome, hoping the problem will go away.
What stops people from quickly naming the problems and moving forward as a team?
This is where we start to enter the territory of the psychology, as there can be any number of reasons why people will avoid and delay these conversations.
It is beyond the scope of this article to address all the different reasons why someone would not feel confident to speak up if there was a problem, or they made a mistake, but simply to bring awareness to the fact that human beings most often tend to avoid the things that need addressing.
The prevention or the solution is straightforward….
If team members feel confident, secure and trusting with one another, they are much more likely to name problems, mistakes and challenges as they arise.
A deeper interpersonal connection is needed, beyond simply the team’s goal.
This is important. It’s about much more than just being friendly with each other.
It is about knowing your team or colleagues deeper than just at the surface level.
These kinds of conversations take some courage, most people aren’t used to sharing and listening to others when we talk about the less than glamourous side of ourselves.
But we can see its important, right?
Let’s explore one more big factor that contributes to an effective team:
Again, going back to the human factor.
It is so important to remember that humans are imperfect, we make mistakes and get things wrong, sometimes. As we’ve seen in the example above.
But what about when there is conflict in a team?
It happens, we all know the signs.
There may be some harsh words said behind peoples backs
Some bitchiness, distrust, some accusations, judgements, assumptions, all manner of such unsubstantiated claims made about others.
If left unchecked and unresolved these types of dynamics usually drain a team of their mental and physical energy, usually ending in someone leaving or a team falling behind on their goals and valuable resources spent replacing team members or trying to find ways of moving forward where two or more people don’t need to be in contact in the team.
What a drag
What a decimation to the team spirit this can create
It means being brave because we need to want to resolve, we need to be able to listen to the other person and see things from another perspective.
It is wise to remember that any conflict is only ever an error in communication and any conflict can be resolved.
And the best part, most often if both parties are willing to resolve, greater connection and understanding of each other is the result.
So, we have identified three main qualities of a team that help them be more effective.
This is a great place to start to build an effective team.
It is simple, but not always easy.
It takes practice and it sometimes takes a re-evaluation of the team’s values and culture.
When a team understands that humans occasionally miscalculate, misinterpret and misjudge, we get in touch with a deeper part of our humanity. This is much more than just building a more effective team; it is about establishing a value system and a community ethos of support and kindness, of listening and understanding.
A team that wholeheartedly cultivates and prioritises connection, communication and understanding are bound to be successful at achieving their desired result.
Get in touch with us to find out more about how we can help you build an outstanding team culture.
