Effective Teams
Think about a group you are currently working with. Which characteristics for effective teams are present? What is lacking?
Common goals are not stressed.
So your organization does not stress common goals, right? I'm curious what impact this has had on the team. Can you share more detail on this, Rick?
Actually, we are rebuilding our team. The company wants to be careful in recruiting, since some Texas schools were shopped and got into big trouble. We can set activity goals, but I feel I need to set enrollment/start goals for our team even if they are unofficial and not company sponsored. Jean, what do you think?
That's a really good question, Rick. I'm personally a fan of setting clear goals and expectations for the team. In the absence of shared goals, people may not be working in the same direction or get into trouble for "assuming" expectations.
Also remember that the reps who got into trouble were not cited for having goals but rather for doing unethical and fradulent things. These are two different things.
In our team we have a Shaper and Team Workers. One thing that we are lacking is a Finisher. We often have good ideas but fail to see them through!
In my current team, we are currently missing a "finisher". We have a teamworker and a shaper but noone to complete our ideas.
Interesting insight, Sara! Since you are aware that this is a challenge, what might you do, moving forward, to see your good ideas through?
Such an important role! What might you do with your other team members to develop some of their talents to improve the likelihood of completing tasks and seeing new ideas through?
We are missing a plant. Someone very creative and novel and ignores restraints in order to think outside the box.
Thanks for sharing Ashley. Now that you have identified the type of personality that your team is missing, what might you do moving forward?
On my current team we are good at sharing information and coming up with ideas and clear goals. I think that we struggle with implementing those goals into action. We lack implementers and folks who can get things done. I do feel that we respect each other, and hve great brainstoming sessions, but we do not have a very clear organizational structure which would allow us to know exactly who is repsonsible for the different aspects of getting things done.
Great observation, Josh. It sounds like your team works together pretty harmoniously and enjoys the opportunity to think up creative ideas for moving forward. Knowing that the team has struggled with implementation in the past, what might you do to help integrate structure for accomplishing the goals you have set?
We are going to be more cognizant of dedicating a couple members of our team to focus on the implementation of ideas. I think with a clear guideline to do so, these folks are on our staff are more than capable of making sure we follow through on things.
Excellent ideas, Josh! Best of luck to you as you and your team work to implement and achieve your goals.
We have a group of 5 admissions reps. As a group we are much stronger in the people and thought catogories. We all have a "sales" mentaility and all like people. We struggle as a group with the paperwork and action part of the job. Our strengths are people and thats why we are in this position and we all have great ideas but we do not have a finisher thats takes these ideas to the next level. Now if you look at other departments like finacial aid or the front office they have much different characteristics and personalities.
Richard,
Thanks for sharing your insights. It sounds like you've got a great deal of awareness regarding your team. What are some thing thatbyou think can make your team even stronger in achieving your goals while serving your students?
Shannon Gormley
I think that by holding people accountable for a specific job would help the group accomplish more things easily and efficiantly. I believe that when an individual is clear of the task at hand that they are much more productive. I also think that our students our the best resource and that we should give them a survey or include a few good students in our meetings so we can learn what we are doing well and what we can improve on.
Richard, thank you for sharing. I love the idea of including students in your meetings. I think that will allow your students to feel a sense of community. I wonder, what are your thoughts about including all types of students in those meetings?
Shannon Gormley
I think that would be a good idea so that way we get a much broader feedback. Sometimes the students struggling can tell us more about what we can improve on as a school than the "A" students.
