Is your team setup to succeed?

It’s an all-too-common scenario:

You’ve pulled out all the stops…

Brought together some of the top individuals you could find…

The team can only be described as superstars.

No question, they have the skills and talent to get the job done…

And yet…

Decisions aren’t being made. Deadlines are being pushed back. Dynamics have dissolved into pettiness and bickering.

And you’re left scratching your head wondering…

Why… is… this… team… struggling?

Here’s the thing:

Teams can have all the raw talent and individual brilliance in the world…

However if the group is missing this one key element, it can cause massive headaches and bring productivity to a screeching halt.

The #1 thing that all teams need to perform optimally:

Balance.

From the sports field to the board room, all high-performing teams have a balanced team dynamic.

So if you’ve got a team that should be doing a lot better than they are, start by reviewing these 5 traits of an unbalanced team:

  1. Weak leadership (without a strong leader, other dominant team members can divert the group’s focus onto the wrong priorities)
  2. Groupthink (occurs when the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making)
  3. Fear of judgement (when more reserved members of the group are not given a voice and become afraid of sharing their opinions, which can result in poor group decision-making)
  4. Deference to authority (when more reserved team-members constantly agree with dominant members or leaders, which can be counter-productive to the group’s goal)
  5. Disruptive behaviours (when one or more individuals are displaying behaviour not aligned with the groups’ goal, from inappropriate jokes to aggression)

Is your team displaying one or more of these traits?

Fortunately all is not lost…

Balancing your team starts here:

Step 1. Know Thy Team

You may have noticed when reviewing the above traits that team imbalances are the result of individual behavioural styles.

For example, if you have someone who is naturally introverted and task-focused, you may find they have trouble managing the direction and output of the team if they are assigned the role as a team leader.

So your task now is to get a deeper understanding of the behavioural styles of all members of your team.

This month you can have each of your team members complete our free Team Dynamics quiz, which is based on the world-leading D.I.S.C. personality profiles.

This quick 10-question quiz will tell you their dominant behavioural style.

Once you have an understanding of each team member’s dominant behavioural style, you’ll be in a position to assign the right person to the right role.

Check out the next step to find out which role to assign to which behavioural style:

Step 2. Roles in a Balanced Team

Image: TTI Success Insights

 

D.I.S.C. Team Building looks at the way we function and think in a group or team environment.

There are 8 key roles (measured by preference) that people perform to accomplish tasks and goals.

Job satisfaction, stress management and productivity are all maximised when people are placed in their area of preference.

These are the 8 key team roles:

  • Conductor (A): Identifies new concepts and ideas and moves them forward
  • Persuader (A/P): Gets other people on board to concepts, ideas and products/processes
  • Promoter (P): Promotes the business, organisation and/or the team
  • Relater (P): Supportive and empathetic of others
  • Supporter (P): Contribute by serving the team and sticking to the task at hand
  • Coordinator (A/P): When a new plan is proposed, the Coordinator will be the anchor of reality. They seek information, tests systems, and maintains high standards
  • Analyser (A): Precise, analytical and detailed. Think quality control and refinement of the project or process
  • Implementor (A): Turns ideas into practical actions and are good with deadlines

(A)  = Action / Task Orientated Roles
(P) = People Orientated Roles
(A/P) = Action and People Orientated Roles

If your team is under-performing it may be a result of individuals playing the wrong role in the team.

Get started balancing your team now by identifying the preferences of the individuals in your team using our Team Dynamics quiz:

Take the Team Dynamics Quiz

To support you in June’s Team Building theme we’ve developed a D.I.S.C. based Team Dynamics Personality Quiz.

The purpose of the Quiz is to help you identify the dominant personality types of your team. Take the quiz yourself. Then forward it onto your employees to learn more about the make-up of your team:

Any questions?

If you have questions on this topic or any others, feel free to reach me by email or set up a free one-on-one consultation session, or drop me a comment below.

Thanks for sharing!