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Business Teams

Business Teams Effective coaching and team building skills are important in many contexts. Whether discussing a high school soccer team or a team of business executives, many of the same strategies and skills are needed to allow teams to succeed to their highest potential. In this paper I will discuss these strategies and skills and explain their importance. I have interviewed a former high school soccer player about her interpretations of effective coaching and team building skills, and will compare the information gathered during the interview with issues discussed in the Robbins and Hunsaker text. Jennifer Watson was a member of the Central Jersey Group Two High School Championship soccer team. She was able to provide valuable insight into the development of an effective team. Many of her views expressed to me in her interview paralleled concepts in the Robbins and Hunsaker text. Jennifer felt she had an effective coach for many reasons, the first of which was her coach's constant support. "An effective coach is definitely a person of authority, but is also someone who cares about, and is there for the individual players," she said. Similarly, in the business world, an effective coach is defined as someone who aspires to see the individual succeed. The coach observes the performance of individuals on the team through questioning, showing interest, listening to, and understanding their point of view. The coach can then guide the individual toward the improvement of different skill areas. An effective couch must provide a positive climate for all individuals to work in. A climate in which an individual feels comfortable will enable that individual to perform without the feeling of risk. A coach must always support the individual while remaining upbeat. Placing blame for an individual's mistake must be avoided. Mistakes should be used as a tool to learn from. When Jennifer was asked about the type of climate that her coach provided; she stated that, " Our coach was always willing to listen to a new idea or a new play. He would tell us that we could beat even a so called better team as long as we focused on our game." A coach should never act as if there were a finite limit to an individuals' ability. Coaches should avoid allowing complicity to deter individual success. Every individual achievement should be recognized as an important achievement. Large tasks can be separated into smaller more manageable tasks. Through education individuals can learn to achieve goals independently. During the interview Jennifer went on to say " The coach went over any important play that was used in a game. We understood the way that he felt, how we should execute the play, and we were able to achieve our goal on our own." Jennifer's coach demonstrated that by educating his players he was able to teach individuals new ideas that could be implemented without supervision. A coach must always be a representative of the qualities that is expected from the individuals. A team is a group of people who are committed to achieving a common goal. Teams are routinely found in government, business and sports. When individuals harness their collective power they are often able to exceed expectations. The best teams are small in size. Teams that are small allow members to see their individual contributions. Teams must be comprised of individuals who can perform technical, problem solving and decision-making skills. (Robbins and Hunsaker pp201) Teams do not have to have these skills present in the preliminary stages of development, however all skill levels must be met before the team will be able to harness its ultimate power. All team members must agree on a common purpose. The common purpose can be broad, however all members of the team must believe in it. I asked Jennifer what the common purpose of her team was." In the beginning it was just to keep winning as many games as possible. Toward the end of the season with so much on the line we focused more on winning the state championship, but that still meant winning as many games as possible. Once a team can visualize its common purpose it can start to define it more. The team can then set specific goals to obtain. Goals must be clearly understood and readily obtainable by all members. The team utilizes a common approach to decide how to apply all its resources in achieving the desired outcome. The common approach involves individual assessment of skills, weakness, managing workloads and ensuring equal contribution by team members. Large assignments should be separated into smaller tasks. Finally an effective team must remain mutually accountable for all its actions. " Ask not what your teammates can do for you but what you can do for your teammates. " (Magic Johnson) All team members must take an equal share in the workload. Team members who avoid individual contributions damage the team's success. Effective teams must remain accountable for their actions on both the whole and individual member basis. Teams become ineffective when a lack of trust among members exist. The team should be supported by appropriate resources. The performance of the team must be constantly evaluated so that critical gaps may be filled. Clear and concise goals must be maintained and reinforced should the need arise. Jennifer stated, " My team was constantly challenged by members who did not carry their load. Often we would show up for a game with players who were unable to play do to foolish acts." When asked to elaborate she stated, " Players were students first and fore most if they didn't keep up grades or got in trouble in class they were prevented from playing due to school rules. Most of the time these were foolish acts which damaged team morale and performance." Effective coaching and team building skills are the building blocks of an effective outcome. Effective coaches that learn how to harness ability that a individual may not have previously been aware of and capitalize on that ability stand to facilate a better outcome. Once an effectively coached individual can act independently, digently, and effectively he or she will complement a team. An effective team that can effectively navigate technical, problem solving and decision-making skills will be able to chart a direct course to success. When Jennifer was asked what lessons she learned from her team she stated "lessons that I learned that year will remain with me for ever. Even with so much on the line competvly and emotionally we showed that with our focus on teamwork, individual and team success could never fail. I will always remember that lesson." Bibliography: Riley, Pat. The Winner Within. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1993. Robbins, Stephan P and Hunsaker, Phillip L. Training In Interpersonal Skills Tips for Managing People at Work. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall,1996,1989.

Word Count: 1106