Is It the Team or the Leader?

Is it the leader or the team?

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University of Phoenix Online

Abstract

Great leaders the world round have one thing in common, great teams. Dynamic teams wins wars.

Teams are nurtured and molded by the members of that team. Teams that have a passion for what they do. Leaders delegate authority. Teams communicate. Teams are organized. Teams have mutual respect and trust for each other, Leaders are there to motivate a team. Leaders must ensure that the team stays focused and has fun. Now we have a dynamic team.

Is it the team or the individual?

Groups of individuals that are motivated by passion, been delegated authority, communicate effectively, are organized, have mutual trust and respect for each other, and have a leader capable of providing motivation make a dynamic team.

Great leaders the world round have one thing in common, great teams. Wars have been won and lost by small groups of individuals, known as teams. Team dynamics is what wins wars. Katzenbach and Smith define teams as; “A team is a small number of people with complementary skills, who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.”

Teams are nurtured and molded by the members of that team. General Colin Powell in Career and Personal Development states; "Organization doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds."

A soccer coach is nothing but a man who knows how to teach soccer, just like a soccer team is nothing without a passion for the sport. Teams that have a passion for what they do, accomplish far more than teams that are there to collect a paycheck. Maya Angelou once said, "You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the thing you love doing, and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off of you." Zig Zigler said, "if you make your passion your work, you will never get bored."

Leaders that delegate authority to their employees tend to be the most successful. Individuals aren’t capable of moving mountains, but anything is possible with a team. Leaders that delegate there authority, must also give their team the complete picture of what he or she wants done. Andrew Carnegie stated, “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

We often here “We must communicate more efficiently”, but what does that mean? Rollo May’s vision of communication is, “Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.” Communication is a two way street though, requiring both talking and listening. George Shaw once said, “The problem with communication ... is the illusion that it has been accomplished.” Simplified, sometimes the message isn’t communicated the way we expected it to be. A group of people needs to be able to relay exactly what they are thinking. Wouldn’t it be great if we where all psychic?

Organization is the key. William Pollard’s view is,”Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit.”

There should never be a reason to doubt the motives of a team member. This single statement says mutual trust and respect are a must. Trust leads to respect. Peter Drunker says it best, “The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say "I." And that's not because they have trained themselves not to say "I." They don't think "I." They think "we";