Building Teams by Developing People

Every day, organizations and individuals face overwhelming amounts of information, difficult decisions, and increasing uncertainty. This can bring immense pressure, especially as mental health challenges become more common. Navigating these realities requires new and better ways of working together.

While this post does not have all the answers, it offers practical starting points for building stronger teams with little to no cost. Today, the focus is on creating impact through team charters.

A team charter is a foundational and inclusive tool that empowers people within your organization to work effectively and achieve results. The best team charters are created and implemented by your people themselves.

Virtually every organization has meetings and groups that work together; however, in my experience, many teams do not function as well as they might. In a world of increasing complexity, choices, and challenges, developing a high-performing group or team to execute an organization’s goals and objectives has never been more necessary.

Unfortunately, high-performing teams do not just magically happen. Yes, an organization should have the best people possible; however, having a team charter can help grow everyone, provide clarity, and create an environment for excellence. Enabling a team charter will help grow every member of an organization who participates; average teams become better and good teams become great.

A team charter can be as simple or as complicated as necessary. In its simplest form, it is a set of agreements created by the organization AND the members of the group. The high-performing groups are interactive and inclusive. They are built on trust and autonomy, and will not function in a micro-managed environment.

Setting the “ground rules” should be the first step. Ground rules are simply a code of conduct for how the group or team will interact; consider these points.

Each member of the team is equally important.  All team members should always be treated with respect and dignity. Team members will have different experiences and responsibilities; however, the team will only accomplish its goals if everyone participates freely.

Each member of the team is encouraged to “speak their mind.” In an atmosphere of respect, high-performing teams operate in a “safe” space. Team members should not hold back due to the fear of repercussions.  

Each team member is expected to be prepared. If preparation is required prior to meetings, each team member is expected and has permission to hold each other accountable if another person is not prepared.

All team members are expected to attend meetings in person. If this is not possible, then attendance should be virtual; however, the charter should insist that remote team members should always have their cameras on.  

All meetings start and finish on time. The agenda should be available in advance, prioritized, but with latitude to allow discussion and clarification. Any items not covered should be reprioritized for the next meeting. High-performing teams ask questions, and agendas should not be “iron-clad.”

Each team member is expected to focus. During team meetings or work periods, each person agrees to concentrate on the team task. Cell phones and superfluous devices will be turned off unless required.  

Each meeting or work period begins with a recap. A brief review of the tasks and/or assignments from the previous meeting then ends with an agreement on action steps moving forward and messaging for the rest of the organization.

Advance notice of meetings or work agendas is an expectation. Team members expect a minimum of 36 hours’ notice in advance, and meeting summaries should be sent out within 72 hours of the meeting, where possible. If a meeting is not required, it will be cancelled.

Ground rules should be brainstormed and agreed upon by the team. They are a “living document” that is updated as necessary, and when new people join.  

Once the “ground rules” are established, the next step is collectively establishing, “What is the purpose of the team?”

High-performing teams exist to accomplish goals and objectives for the organization. Clearly defining those goals or requirements will help everyone on the team or group to understand the parameters and constraints and help the team to stay focused. Depending on the team’s life cycle, goals and objectives may change or be replaced.

Additionally, the high performing teams work inclusively with stakeholders to agree on performance dashboards as well as timeline expectations.

Next is to collaborate and agree on decision-making protocols.

Decision-making may be as simple as using a “Roman” style thumbs up or thumbs down, or majority rules. For more complex decisions, some teams agree to use a multi-point methodology, where team members rank options. There are ways to do this; a good example is using a “T-shirt” sizing point model. For this ranking option, team members assign priority by relating options to t-shirt sizing, small to large, depending on the complexity, time, and effort required. The points are added, and priority is given to the option with the most points.

With decisions, high-performing teams anticipate they will have disagreements on process and direction, particularly in an Agile-type environment. Team charters should include one or more conflict resolution techniques so the team members can resolve their own issues. In situations where the team cannot agree, the team leader decides. Having a prior agreed-upon method of resolving situations helps to eliminate deadlocks and bottlenecks.

The team charter should always involve recording a summary of the top skills of each member. High-performing groups are self-organizing.  They know the skills and experiences will help the group to decide and agree on the roles and responsibilities. The team also determines what skills may be missing and develops  an action plan to either request training or someone with the necessary skills.

High-performing teams have an expectation of accountability. Each member agrees to be open to comments or criticism if an agreed-upon task or responsibility does not meet expectations.  All team members should want to deliver on their assigned goals and responsibilities. The team agrees to the performance metrics to be used, such as the SMART technique of “specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time bound.”

Agree on how to communicate. High-performing team charters include communication strategies. Whether for internal/external communication, the team charter includes agreements on how the team will communicate. For example, group meetings might be face-to-face or virtual, followed by email, messenger, etc.  

Impediments, Obstacles, and Blockers. Adjusting to using a team charter requires a leader or manager to facilitate more than manage. High-performing teams change but do not diminish a leader’s role. A high-performing leader shields and allows their team to “do the work” the organization requires. They coach, facilitate, and delegate while removing barriers that delay or stop the team’s work. An impediment or obstacle prevents a team from working effectively; examples range from insufficient workspace to not having the tools or time necessary. A blocker prevents a team’s work from occurring and includes such things as a stop work order from a government or regulatory body. In this collaborative environment, team leaders are more important than ever.

The first time a group or team builds its charter, it might take longer than a few hours; dedicating this time is the first key component of having a high-performing team. The team charter should be documented and signed off on by each member. This process repeats every time someone new joins the team. Clarity, conciseness, and a clear understanding of what is planned and what is to be executed will empower the team to fulfill its role in meeting the team’s and its organizational goals. In a time of rapid change, increasing pressure, and unforgiving consequences, building an evolving team charter with your people builds them and builds your team.

Good luck,

Paul.