Work today is often accomplished by self-managed high performing teams. Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent leaders are learning agile at building high performance teams by quickly assessing talent. Everyone needs to quickly and honestly know where they stand regarding the mission and goals of the team and organization.
How do you assess your existing team as quickly as possible? How do you reduce your learning curve and jump start your team’s performance in the first 90 days? What are the most common mistakes leaders in a new position make?
How to Assess an Existing Team
When performing your evaluation, you’ll find some excellent, some average and some unsatisfactory people in place. You will inherit a group with its own dynamics and habitual ways of working. You cannot afford to make one of the most common errors: gathering them in a room, telling them that you’re in charge now, and that you’ll be making some changes. Instead, you will need to sort out who’s who, the functions people perform and how the group has worked in the past.
Go in and shake the tree, and you’re guaranteed to lose some of the best leaves along with the rotting ones. Always evaluate thoroughly before acting. Hasty action compromises trust and credibility. You may inadvertently lose valuable team members.
If you are like most leaders, you will form an impression each time you meet someone. Hold onto those thoughts, but don’t hold them as truths. Remember: They are merely first impressions. Allow them to register, don’t suppress them, and then allow other factors to influence your ultimate appraisal.
You also must decide which criteria to use when evaluating your people. Michael Watkins, an associate professor of business administration at Harvard and author of The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels suggests using the following:
o Competence – Does this person have the technical skills and experience to do the job well?
o Judgment – Does this person exercise good judgment under pressure or when faced with sacrifice for the greater good?
o Energy – Does this team member bring the right kind of energy to the job, or is he/she disengaged, burned out or unfulfilled?
o Focus – Does this person stick to priorities, or is he/she easily distracted and scattered?
o Relationships – Does this person get along well with other team members, supporting team decisions?
o Trust – Can you trust this person to be honest, consistent and reliable?
Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the BarOn EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more inspiring and happy team leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.
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