Questions for Evaluating Great Team Characteristics
“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people. – Steve Jobs
Results
Complexity
Resilience
Synergy
Are we waiting for the leader to hold us accountable?
Are team members comfortable giving and receiving feedback?
Are we clear on our most important priorities and who is responsible for what?
Have we spent time getting to know each other’s styles, perspectives and experiences?
Are we clear on the behaviors we are trying to reinforce or do we simply have a list of aspirational values – i.e., if collaboration is a value have we agreed on what behaviors will reinforce or detract from collaboration?
Have we discussed and resolved the natural dilemma all leadership team members face – balancing leading functional units with their roles as ambassadors for the enterprise?
Do team members have the capability to analyze and synthesize complex information thoroughly and with foresight?
Is each member of the leadership team fully engaged?
Do we measure progress and communicate effectively so that we know when challenges are approaching?
Do we rally when challenges approach? Are we proactively looking to support our teammates when we see them falling behind or struggling?
Do we take time to assess and learn from our failures or do we tend to repeat mistakes?
Building a leadership team that is resilient, accountable, aligned and impactful is hard work but the benefits can be a game changer for an organization.
What’s our purpose as a leadership team? What unique challenges are we working to solve as a collective body?
Do we have the right people on the team? Are they team players? Are they on the team because of the contribution they can make to address the purpose or simply because of their functional role?
Does our management rhythm support our team’s purpose?