You're leading a newly formed team. How can you ensure everyone understands their role?

I like to use a "Know Your Role" worksheet that I have created. The goal of the sheet is to simplify each role on the team into 3 key areas. In other words, it lists the top 3 things they are responsible for. Under each area, I list the top the 3 tasks that are drivers of success within that specific responsibility. At the end, the document has 9 points on it that can be looked at as a North Star in role clarity and purpose. It is much simpler than a job description and can always be looked to when there are questions of action importance and responsibility.

Leaders should create space to capture input from the actual team members that will be involved in the work. Gathering this critical input not only surfaces potential blindspots in role definition, and process, but also gives team members a sense of ownership and accountability in the new system, its success, and their role in it. Leaders should consider these unique and valuable perspectives as they formalize and communicate team member roles. From there its all about being adaptable and iterating based on ongoing feedback.

Ensuring each team member understands their role right from the start is crucial for team success. There is often resistance between team members when tasks are added to their role hence defining responsibilities is an important step with a new team.

What I believe is that companies need to bring in culture in the workplace. As an employer or HR professional, it’s your responsibility to make sure for employee's job and mental stability. Below are the important points: 1. Foster an environment of accountability, from managers down to individual employees. 2. Discuss with teams what matters most to them. 3. Institute better practices based on feedback. Continue to assess your culture.

Regular 1:1's (ideally weekly) with your direct reports, not to micromanage their goals and targets, but to create an open dialogue where they can share their issues and concerns. This forum will very quickly help to identify if there is any misunderstanding about their role and you'll be able to course correct early, in a supportive way.

Encouraging open dialogue in a newly formed team fosters understanding and collaboration. Create a space where team members feel comfortable asking questions and sharing ideas. Regularly check in with the team to discuss roles, responsibilities, and any challenges they might face. Open communication helps clarify expectations and ensures everyone is on the same page, promoting a culture of transparency and trust. When everyone has a voice, the team becomes stronger and more aligned in their goals.

Encouraging open communication allows team members to share ideas, voice concerns, and provide feedback, leading to better decision-making and problem-solving. It also helps leaders stay connected to the challenges and opportunities on the front lines, enabling them to offer timely support and guidance. This culture of openness not only strengthens relationships within the team but also drives accountability, alignment, and overall performance.

The initial team meeting sets the stage for clearly outlining individual roles and expectations, as well as the organization's objectives. Foster an open dialogue by encouraging active listening, asking questions, and soliciting feedback to ensure a comprehensive understanding of each team member's perspective.

Assume this is a newly formed team of an existing firm, this is a new location being added to their portfolio, and an operating system already exists: Develop clear role definitions and expectations: Clearly define each team member's role and responsibilities. If possible, provide written job descriptions. Make sure everyone knows what success looks like. Implement daily check-ins: Schedule one-on-one and team meetings to discuss progress, address concerns, and provide feedback. This helps keep everyone aligned and on track. Organize at least one team-building activity early on to foster collaboration among team members. This can help everyone understand the mission, each other's strengths, and how they can work together effectively.

Setting clear goals is crucial for role clarity in a newly formed team. Start by establishing both individual and team objectives that align with the overall mission. Ensure each team member understands how their role contributes to these goals. Regularly review and adjust goals as needed, allowing for flexibility and growth. Clear goals provide direction and motivation, helping everyone stay focused on what matters most, ensuring that each role is purposeful and aligned with the team's success.

There is a company goal which every team member is aware of and moving towards achieving it together. There are individual goals for each team member, based on their roles and responsibilities. Each team member set 3 goals quarterly, with 3-4 measurable key results for each goal. We review the achievements quarterly, celebrate the achievements, and find solution towards those unachieved key results. By doing these, we foster collaborative, unity and team synch in team members that are located in different timezone.

Don’t forget that while feedback is important for everyone’s growth, your employees aren’t always naturally skilled at receiving and delivering it. It’s up to you, as the leader, to not only deliver valuable praise and challenges, but to also model what it looks like to receive them as well. Your feedback loop should always include getting feedback as much as delivering it; it’s a quick way to set the tone that it’s safe to give and get feedback, that no one is exempt from it, and that it helps us all grow at the end of the day.

While regular check-ins are crucial, the quality of feedback is equally important. Encourage feedback that is both caring personally and challenging directly. This approach ensures that role-related feedback is constructive and actionable. Consider implementing a 360-degree feedback system where people receive input from peers, subordinates, and superiors. This comprehensive view can highlight blind spots and reinforce role understanding from multiple perspectives. Additionally, as Tim Ferriss suggests, encourage 'failure reports' where people share lessons learned from mistakes. This practice not only clarifies roles but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety, essential for high-performing teams.

Implementing a feedback loop is essential for maintaining role clarity in a newly formed team. Encourage continuous feedback, where team members can regularly share insights, challenges, and progress. This two-way communication ensures that roles and expectations are clearly understood and allows for adjustments when necessary. By fostering a culture of feedback, you help the team stay aligned, address any confusion early on, and ensure that everyone is contributing effectively to the team’s goals.

In our quarterly reviews, every team member is encouraged to provide feedbacks on what we can do better to improve. Team members are free to voice out what they like to do, even it is out of their current role. Opportunities will be given for them to exercise and perform the new tasks which they would like to do. With this exercise, we encourage team members to take initiatives, and discover new talents in them that we might have missed with a rigid job role.

Feedback is essential for growth, and as the saying goes, ‘feedback is the breakfast of champions.’ It’s critical to regularly recognize team members for their positive contributions to reinforce what they’re doing well. Constructive criticism, while sometimes challenging, can be invaluable when handled thoughtfully. The ‘sandwich method’ is a great approach—start with positive feedback, introduce what could be improved in a sensitive way, and conclude with another positive note. This ensures the feedback is balanced, firm yet encouraging, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

It’s as simple (if not always easy) as connecting on a human level. Like the campfire that formed the basis of our first communities/ teams. Share stories. Ask how you can help each other. Once we see we’re all just imperfect humans that want to support each other (it’s literally in our DNA), the rest follows much more easily

Building a team is not about filling roles; it's about understanding people. Everyone has their own strengths, values, and motivations. Your job as a leader isn’t to force them into predefined boxes, but to create an environment where they can bring their best selves. When we recognize what makes each person unique and align those strengths to a common vision, the team becomes a powerful force. True leadership isn’t about telling people what to do—it’s about inspiring them to contribute in ways that amplify the impact of the group as a whole.

To truly harness team dynamics, it's essential to go beyond surface-level interactions. Consider implementing activities that foster psychological safety, allowing team members to share their strengths, weaknesses, and working preferences openly. This transparency can lead to more effective role allocation and collaboration. Additionally, tools like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the DiSC assessment can provide a common language for understanding diverse working styles. Remember, as Adam Grant points out, cognitive diversity in teams can lead to better problem-solving and innovation. By celebrating these differences and aligning them with roles, you can create a more cohesive and high-performing team.

Focusing on team dynamics is key to ensuring role clarity in a newly formed team. Understanding how team members interact and collaborate helps in assigning roles that complement each other. Encourage open communication and mutual support, allowing everyone to see how their role fits into the bigger picture. By nurturing positive dynamics, you create an environment where roles are respected, and the team functions cohesively, ensuring that everyone understands their contributions and feels valued in their position.

Ensure that team members clearly understand how their roles interconnect and contribute to the broader team dynamics. Emphasize key collaboration points to foster a cohesive and collaborative work environment.

Continuous learning within a team is not just about gaining new skills—it’s about understanding the different ways people work and where they’re coming from. Each team member may have varying preferences for detail, which some might see as micromanaging, while others view it as essential. Understanding temperaments, backgrounds, and the broader responsibilities each individual carries is critical to fostering strong relationships. Tailoring your approach based on this understanding ensures the team can grow and adapt together, creating a more cohesive and successful working environment.

Incorporating continuous learning into a newly formed team helps maintain role clarity and adaptability. Encourage team members to continuously develop their skills and knowledge, which allows them to better understand their roles and how they contribute to the team’s success. Promote a culture where learning is ongoing, and where team members can share insights and best practices. Continuous learning ensures that everyone stays current, aligned, and capable of evolving with the team’s needs, fostering a resilient and informed team dynamic.

At this point, clarity in roles is crucial for success. Start by clearly defining each team member’s responsibilities, aligning them with the team’s overall objectives, and ensuring they understand how their contributions impact the bigger picture. Hold individual and team meetings to discuss expectations, encourage open communication, and address any uncertainties. Providing job descriptions or role outlines can further reinforce understanding. Regular check-ins will help assess progress, offer support, and foster accountability, while also allowing adjustments as the team evolves. This approach creates a foundation of transparency and collaboration, empowering everyone to excel in their roles.

"Continuous Learning" is one of our core values. Every team member is aware that what they think they are expert in, is just a drop of water in the sea. Hence, every team member is encouraged to continuously learning to enhance the existing skills, learn new skills to contribute towards new tasks' demands, stay current with the ever changing new technology and stay competence.

Again, our environment is very different than an office space. If we have something new I will gather them all around during our "slow period" which is 4pmish [after the lunch rush and before Happy Hour begins] and let them know what is new and WHY. Pretty much they are all back at their jobs within 5-10 minutes!