By Brad Lomenick
Everyone wants to be part of a team that accomplishes goals and gets things done. But a make-it-happen team culture is only possible if leaders are committed to doing their part in creating that type of team culture.
Here are 15 keys for how leaders can contribute to that end.
1. Make sure your yes is yes and your no is no. Do what you say you will do.
2. Take responsibility before being told.
3. Solve problems and create solutions instead of creating problems and delaying solutions.
4. Arrive early for everything. As I tell our team all the time “If you’re early, you’re on time, and if you’re on time, you’re late.
5. Always leave meetings with action items and clear next steps.
6. Don’t blame others.
7. Place a priority on execution rather than the conception of an idea.
8. Create small nimble teams that work together—no more than three or four people on a project at one time.
9. Develop clear lines of authority distributed throughout the organization and always connected to responsibility and authority.
10. Encourage working together; constantly strive to create a collaborative spirit and a collaborative environment.
11. Model a high trust factor. The I’ll-just-do-it-myself mentality doesn’t inspire teamwork. You have to give things away to your team members and trust them to complete the assignment or task.
12. Take a consistent, leaning in posture and spirit—always wanting to learn, always wanting to improve.
13. The leader leads. Whoever the organizational team leader is, they have to model all of these. Walk the walk and talk the talk.
14. Strive for mutual respect across the organization. A make-it-happen team may have a strong, Alpha-type leader, but if the team fears the leader rather than respects the leader, teamwork will be stifled.
15. Meetings should be the exception not the norm. Only schedule a meeting if you absolutely must. I’ve found quick stand up meetings and collaborative conversations to be more productive than meeting for the sake of meeting.
Brad Lomenick (@BradLomenick) is president and key visionary at Catalyst (@CatalystLeader), as well as the author of The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker.
He is also on the advisory council for Ministry Grid (@MinistryGrid) from which this article was adapted. You’ll find a variety of leadership training videos from other Christian leaders at ministrygrid.com.
