Start Your Team on the Right Path

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Any manager who has put together a team — be it large or small, in-person or virtual — knows how difficult it is to get a group started off right. Next time you have to launch a team, try these three things to improve your chances of success:

  • Foster trust. People who trust one another tend to get work done quickly. Encourage an environment where people feel free to speak their minds.
  • Quickly acknowledge mistakes. No group can succeed without correcting itself along the way. Candid and timely conversations are essential.
  • Be clear about expectations. The clearer the mission, the better the team performance. Everyone must know what is expected of them, in as granular a way as is practical.

Adapted from “Building Effective Teams Isn’t Rocket Science, But It’s Just as Hard” by Douglas R. Conant.

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