From my experience working with leaders of all kinds, I have noticed many different styles and approaches can be effective depending on the context, situation, organization or personalities involved. But, there seem to be four essential characteristics that always need to be present.  Even those who do not have an official title or leadership position can lead “from the seat” if demonstrating these qualities.

How fitting that the first letters of each quality form the acronym TEAM since the ability to create a sense of team is the gift of the most outstanding leaders.

T stands for Trust

This fundamental value lies at the heart of every successful organization. Customers are more likely to remain loyal if they trust the products and services they buy. Premium brands are built on a promise of never letting people down. And, employees give their best to leaders they trust.

How do you build trust?

As a leader, you can not put your own needs before those of the company.  You exercise sound judgment and make wise decisions knowing full well they impact the future and livelihood of others.  You are thoughtful and considerate of different points of view.  And, you directly and fearlessly communicate.  A client recently described a manager he admired: “His style was not to get involved in the details but to make sure that we were always ‘100% crystal clear on the path’.  Unlike many people within the company, he was not afraid to be blunt in describing a situation or problem.  I think it was that frankness that earned him the respect of the Chairman and others.   You may not like what he said, but there was no confusion over what he thought and he proved to be right most all the time.  That combination builds trust.”

As an employee, you build trust by doing the work expected of you – and then some.  Not only do you apply your best skills to your work each day, but you also have an attitude that seeks out challenge and goes the extra mile. 

As a teammate, you build trust by sharing important information and offering support when others need your help.  These fundamental building blocks of trustworthiness create a culture of high ethical standards, integrity and competence, and they differentiate true leaders.

E stands for Engagement 

People working in non-profit organizations are often at an advantage when it comes to engagement since it arises from caring about what you do and believing that it matters. But, leaders can help others feel passionately about the mission of their organization if they create an atmosphere of engagement.  By recruiting the right people for the right roles, deploying them to utilize their best skills and talents and developing their potential, the leaders enable people to feel that their contributions are important, thus increasing their engagement. 

When motivation and performance are in decline, the first place leaders should look when seeking both cause and solution is to their own behavior.  It is often the case that the signals they send to the people who work for them can be the exact opposite of what they intended.  As a leader, do not confuse being hands on with being engaged.  As long as you remain well informed about what is important, you will never be unpleasantly surprised, and you will not need to micromanage in order to prove your own engagement.

A stands for Accountability 

The secret of engendering high performance is to balance the carrot-and-stick approach.  All praise and cuddliness is as ineffective as all criticism or no comment.  Sure ways to help people perform to high standards include: setting clear expectations for each person’s role; allowing everyone time to learn and understand exactly what their responsibilities entail from the lowliest employee to members of the board, and having a mechanism to track progress, and, if need be, course correct.  Sometimes, the toughest managers shy away from holding employees accountable.  They need to offer employees support in getting past roadblocks and afford them the freedom to act and the opportunity to discuss difficulties as they arise, thus earning the right to expect accountability for getting things accomplished. Finding the right balance of giving responsibility and enabling people to keep delivering that for which they are accountable entails holding regular conversations about goals and objectives, clear, objective, plain speaking about expectations and performance, and recognition when a job is well done.

M stands for Mutuality

Being clear about mutual expectations and commitments is fundamental to effective leadership and teamwork.  It is founded on a deep sense of mutual respect and acceptance irrespective of differences of opinion, perspective, status or style.  When there is an implicit contract between people and an understanding that they actually care about the work, the organization and one another, magic can happen.  A sense of mutuality – what is good for the one is good for the other – prevails over internal competitiveness and the fragmentation of silos.  A willingness to collaborate with others rather than triumphing over them can be a source of greater innovation, productivity and profitability as well as  a source for stronger team spirit and organizational morale. The leader who fosters mutuality over rivalry is a wise leader indeed.

On a scale from 1 (extremely low) to 10 (extremely high), how do you and your organization’s leadership score for each of these TEAM factors?

Fredia Woolf, Founder of Woolf Consulting, writes about career and workplace issues.  She coaches leaders on creating breakthroughs in reaching people,  goals and potential, and designs programs for organizations to enhance their effectiveness and the quality of both leadership and teamwork.  She can be contacted at fwoolf@woolfconsulting.com.

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Last updated on August 30th, 2011 at 06:33 pm