A Conversation: Advice on New Team Start-Up

Two TCA Executive Coaches, Geoff Grenert, MBA and Donna Riechmann, PhD captured a recent conversation they had about starting up new teams.

Here’s what they had to say:

Donna:  If you were giving advice to a new team leader, what would you tell the person to be sure to do to get off to a good start?

Geoff:  It depends on whether or not the leader is able to choose the members of his team, whether they will be assigned to him or if the team is already in existence.

Donna:  Why is that important?

Geoff:  Well, let’s say that the team exists and is not performing well. This will affect how he initiates himself as the leader. Let’s say it is a new team, and department heads will assign members. He may have little say regarding the caliber of each new member and the experience they bring. What if he is able to hand pick his team? All of these scenarios bring with them a different set of issues to be dealt with.

Donna:  So what you’re saying is that your advice would be different for each circumstance.

Geoff:  Yes and no. I would give the same advice but with varying degrees of emphasis.

The first thing a leader should do is meet with the entire team, face to face. Video conferencing and teleconferencing does not work for this phase of new team startup or team development. The leader must take the reins in person, and everyone on the team must make the same commitment in time and effort. This agenda for this initial meeting with the new leader includes an introduction of the leader and all of the team members, the creation of a collective vision and mission statement, the assignment of roles and responsibilities, and expectations for and of each team member, with emphasis on the importance of collaboration, one team voice, and especially accountability. Each team member will be accountable to him or herself, the team and the leadership.

I would advise the leader to have every member of the team, agree with all of the terms of the team charter and to sign the charter. Future team members will be expected to agree with and sign the same charter.

Geoff:  Donna, if you were giving advice to a new team leader, what would you tell the person to be sure to do to get off to a good start?

Donna:  Three things.  It may seem obvious but it doesn’t always happen – that a team leader clarifies the mission or goals of the team and how they fit within the larger organizational picture.  The team leader has to have alignment around team goals.

Second, if you do nothing else, take time for the team to set up ground rules or “norms” about how they will work together.  This should answer questions like when and how often they will meet, what they expect about participation in and outside of meetings, what their expectations are about quality and timeliness, how they will balance the team’s work with individual work, how they will support each other, what their decision making process will, and how they will hold each other accountable.

The third piece of advice is to be crystal clear about roles and responsibilities.  Set aside time for a team meeting early on to discuss who is doing what and what they will be accountable for.  Each team member should know exactly what is expected and how work will be evaluated.  Determine if there are gaps or overlaps in responsibilities and agree how to resolve them.

Geoff:  So we agree that getting a new team off to a good start is critical to success, and the team leader plays an important role in structuring the start up and getting everyone on the team engaged.

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Donna Riechmann has held executive positions in large corporations as well as being president of her own consulting firm. She’s held adjunct positions at the University of Illinois, Duke Corporate Education and the Center for Creative Leadership.   Currently, as a partner in the consulting firm Leadership Solutions LLC, Donna has designed and implemented leadership development programs and complex change management strategies for many corporate, government, and non-profit clients. She has international consulting and research experience in several  countries, including Bermuda, Bosnia, Canada, People’s Republic of China, and the United Kingdom. Donna holds B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina.  Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Geoff Grenert (Leadership Solutions LLC), the son of a two-sport professional athlete and Hall of Fame basketball coach, brought the lessons of teamwork and coaching into both his own athletic career and his business life. An entrepreneur, Geoff founded two package delivery companies and an investment partnership, and heco-founded a leadership and team development consulting firm and a not-for-profit community service group. Geoff’s executive coaching, leadership and team development work includes individual coaching through programs at Duke University Fuqua School of Business and the Center for Creative Leadership. The team development exercises and assessment instruments he co-designed are used throughout the U.S. and Europe. Geoff’s coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.