Simon School Executive MBA Team Building & Leadership. www.create-learning

In an earlier post I listed 5 challenges in creating and sustaining team performance.

This post is looking at a leadership challenge.

Leadership Challenge

Strong directive leadership frequently is required in a crisis. Once stability is achieved a more cooperative style is useful.

In a crisis teams look for quick decisive action. Once stability happens a focus on cooperation is more useful. Changing to a more participative style can be a challenge.

Someone who is good at managing a turnaround or struggling team may not be as effective at managing a stable team, & may have a tough time modifying their leadership to fit the different situation.

Team members may also be resistant to take on new, additional tasks that occur after a crisis. They may have have enjoyed depending upon the team leader to make decisions, finding comfort in knowing if things go bad it is the team leader, not them, that will be held accountable.

What is leadership to do with this challenge?
  1. Pay attention to the context of the team, the teams work, & and company. Looking outward to understand is this a crisis? is the team just starting? is the team in a sustaining mode?
  2. Build upon the cooperation & trust hopefully the team has had success & built up trust. That is the small piece of cooperation that can be useful to move a team from crisis into stability.
  3. Review, Re-establish goals with #1, 2 happening call the team together & look at the goals. do they still fit? are we right people? who would be more useful at this point? what competing priorities does the team, team members’ & company face?
  4. Discuss resources + constraints from #3 look at the resources to achieve the goals & how this team can work within the constraints.

These steps are not a magical solution they may be a way to go to the team &  share that things are changing & discuss what small steps can be taken.