Establish a set of GUIDING PRINCIPLES for the team

Guiding principles should absolutely tie in with the purpose and vision of the team and should act as a guiding light for how you want the team to be. This is extremely important to shape the culture. You may wish to call these a set of values or a team charter but, whatever it is called it is so vitally important to get this right before the team gets swamped in its every day delivery because when the proverbial hits the fan and the pressure is on people will generally switch to their default setting, which is why getting the right people in the first place is essential. Guiding principles will help keep the team on track and utilise the collective strengths (defaults) when the harder challenges are presented.

When setting out to establish your team’s guiding principles, start by asking these questions:

1.?????????? What do we stand for?

2.?????????? What are our key values that we will not bend on?

3.?????????? What is important to us individually and as a collective team?

4.?????????? Am I/are we considering individual values and aiming to merge them with the team’s values/principles?

5.?????????? How do we communicate these values both internally to team members and externally to the wider organisation/clients?

6.?????????? Is there potential for the meaning of the values/principles to be lost in translation across different social cultures and in the methods of communication we use?

7.?????????? How do we hold team members accountable if they do not live by them?

Some additional useful questions for individuals and the team to ask:

Do I know what is expected of me at work?

If not, why not? Have you asked the right questions to find out what others expect of you and not simply assumed? If you do know then are those expectations realistic? If they are not, then what conversations have you had with your team and leader about it? What are the alternative expectations that you believe are realistic and relevant to you?

Do I/we have the materials and equipment I/we need to get the job done consistently?

Sometimes we think that we need materials and equipment when in reality they are just ‘nice to haves’. How much is equipment stifling your creativity? When was the last time you mind-mapped an idea or used a large white board to draw your ideas? Does I.T. equipment just create unnecessary emails for you? What do you REALLY need to be effective as a team? Do not just use the lack of equipment as an excuse for failure due to other reasons.

Does every team member have the opportunity to do what they do best every day?

A high performance culture is one that has built an environment that makes success inevitable. It should allow its people to do what they are good at and not hinder their motivation by constantly asking them to do things that really do not float their boat. In reality of course we all have to do things that we do not really want to on occasion – especially in a team environment but do make sure you have a balance.

Do people genuinely care about others in the team??

We are all human beings (you may question that occasionally with some people you meet). Knowing that someone actually cares about you on a human level is such a positive and supportive feeling.

Everyone should be given the encouragement to grow and develop. Even if it is just a ‘basket weaving course 101’ – to an individual it may be incredibly important so where possible, encourage them and watch them grow.

Does everyone in the team encourage both individual and team development?

“Every moment of one’s existence, one is growing into more or retreating into less.”

Norman Mailer

Does everyone’s opinion count?

High performing teams make decisions collectively and every voice is heard. If you are not being listened to what can you do about it? Do not forget that it is always a good idea to base opinions on facts.

Does the mission/purpose of the team make everyone feel like their work is important?

If not, then…um…why are you doing it? Are you happy? You have a lot of control over this – do something different if you are not enthused and passionate about the purpose.

Is the whole team committed to doing quality work?

If not, how are they challenged? Are you basing quality on one person’s standards? If so, are they realistic and relevant to everyone else?

In my book, Team Foundations there is more detail on how to create guiding principles and a team charter.?

All the best.

Dave

www.teamfoundations.co.uk

www.thesuccessfactory.co.uk

?