Effective teams


From this workshop I had to understand what the definition of team work. Team work i s working together and collaborating with each other to share knowledge and ideas. In order for a team to work effectively everyone needs to contribute and everyone needs to be able to voice their opinions, ideas and concerns. By working as a team, as a leader, you are able to achieve more jobs than just one in a shorter time which creates less pressure on yourself as a leader.

This is an area I need to focus on if I am to become an effective leader, in building a rapport with the people I work with in order to become a good leader, I think this is important as if I don't try to build a relationship with the team then they may choose not to follow my suggestions and this can create a tense atmosphere within the group.

I particularly liked the phrase, 'teams are like ecosystems' which I believe is very true. All members of the group have their particular niche within the ecosystem and its utilising these different skills as a leader to obtain the best outcome for the team. Also as a good leader you have to hold people accountable for their particular roles within the group and if they are not 'pulling their weight' as a leader you have to discuss with them firmly and fairly individually as to the reasons why and what it is you expect of them.

As a leader you need to relax and be able to have a more 'friendly' approach to your team and try to build a rapport with them. This is something I need to improve on and be able to communicate with other members of the team better to build relationships.

When doing the Belbin Self-Perception Inventory (SPI) this showed me what my behaviour was like as a team member. I concluded that my team roles were the Implementer and the Completer Finisher. The contribution of the Implementer consisted of being practical, reliable and efficient and turns ideas into actions and organises the work that needs to be done. However, the weaknesses with this role included being inflexible and slow to respond to new possibilities. So perhaps, I need to be less rigid in my action planning and be more open-minded to changes that can occur within the action planning. The contribution of the Completer and Finisher consisted of be painstakingly meticulous, conscientious and anxious, searches for errors and polishes and perfects their work. However, the weaknesses with this role included being inclined to worry unduly and being reluctant to delegate. So perhaps I need to delegate the workload to people more effectively and not take on the full responsibility of the whole job itself. The 'Do's' and 'Don'ts' of these roles I shall discuss now. For the Implementer the 'Do's' include being able to organise systems, ensure I and my team follow the laid out procedures. Get down to practical issues and try and turn ideas into action. I must also be loyal to the organisation and the people within it. From this I need to be able to delegate effectively and ensure members are held accountable for their roles within the organisation and be able to support one another within the team. The 'Don'ts with this role include being obstructive to change, being resistant to new ideas of the team and being seen to be 'stuck in the mud'. I need to therefore be more flexible and open-minded and respect others contributions to the problem. The 'Do's with the role of the Completer/Finisher include trying to raise the standards in all that I do and concern myself with the detail and use my ability to help other members of the team who may not be as strong or accurate and to promote excellence. The 'Don'ts' of this role include allowing perfectionism to turn into a possessive behaviour. I need to be more understanding of individuals strengths and weaknesses and be more empathetic towards others in the team in order for it to work effectively.

I have learned that in order to improve I need to start implementing a more of a co-ordinator type of behaviour in that I need to embrace a more mature, confident approach and be able to delegate effectively and also do my own fair share of the work too. I also need to establish an air of authority over the team with a mature approach and bring others into discussions when they have things to contribute. I need to support the group and hold the group together and praise and encourage others without taking credit for the effort of the team. I need to stop the negative behaviour of the shaper i.e holding grudges and losing my sense of humour when things get tough. I need to display less of a worrying type of behaviour associated with the completer/finisher attribute and be able to delegate effectively and not allow perfectionism to turn into a possessive behaviour and to discourage the weaknesses associated with the implementer in being resistant to new ideas and being obstructive to change. I need to encourage more of the Team Worker attribute in that I need to be more co-operative, perceptive and diplomatic and listen to others and avert friction within the team but not become indecisive in crunch situations and avoid confrontation.  I need to promote a good team atmosphere by reacting to the needs of others and supporting members of the group where necessary. I need to be able to diffuse arguments and any hostility within the team.However, I need to avoid any situations that may entail pressure and not side with the most dominant in a desire to please. I also need to acquire the abilities of a monitor/evaluator type of behaviour in that I tend to rush into decisions quickly and I need to take more time over my decisions. I need to adopt a more strategic behaviour and be able to see all options and judge accurately but not lack drive and ability to inspire others or be over critical. I need to be able to provide a more balanced opinion on all ideas and options and to be ready to explain what actions I prefer and why. I need to stop ill thought out courses of action and take time over my decisions. However, I need to remain positive and not give a negative reaction to everything I hear as this would come across as being cynical and negative.

In order to be a good leader I need to demonstrate an Educational Excellence i.e model excellence in the leadership of teaching and learning. In order to do this I need to lead pupils and colleagues by example. I need to show a commitment to high quality teaching and be able to relay the importance of this and its impact on learning with students and fellow colleagues. This would lead to teachers being able to design a curriculum, appropriate to the context, that is better suited to meet the needs of children and young people. I need to be someone who has a strong learning focus and is able to keep learning and revise pedagogies and use these to improve effective teaching and learning. I need to do this in order to have a clear sense of any changes in the culture, skills and practice in order to achieve best practice and to ensure high quality teaching and consistent learning across college. I need to be able to inspire others and be able to motivate and energise students, colleagues and other educational staff and be able to bring everyone together in order to develop and implement shared goals or objectives. This is important in creating a positive environment for students and colleagues and also important in building self-confidence as a leader. I need to be able to develop strategic leadership in that I need to be self-aware of my personal strengths and areas for future growth and be able to understand how my behaviour impacts on others (i.e. not to come across stressed as this has a negative impact on the team). I need to be able to delegate and share out work and responsibilities when others are better placed to accomplish particular tasks/objectives instead of trying to do it myself as this is not good for my well-being and therefore I can not perform as a good leader  in making good decisions and behaving appropriately. I really need to improve on my operational management in relating to others and building relationships by being able to acknowledge and understand the thoughts, emotions and feelings of students, colleagues, parents and stakeholders and in identifying reasons why others behave the way that they do in order to build long lasting relationships and work effectively.  I need to be able to develop and support others and empower colleagues so that they experience real, significant personal growth and be more proactive in seeking out opportunities to develop colleagues through activities such as mentoring, supporting, praising and guiding in order to bring out the best in them and reach their full potential. I need to improve on my ability to hold others to account . I need to clarify expectations and set high standards for others and ensure goals/objectives are achieved and be able to hold people to account for  their performance in line with these expectations. I will need to use my own position or authority to get others to do what is asked of them and at times this will involve making tough or unpopular decisions. However, I must bear in mind that these choices/actions will be made with the best interests of students and schools in mind. As a leader I need to be clear what needs to be done, who needs to do it, by when and what the outcome should look like. I need to keep an eye on progress and ensure educational standards do not drop in order for the college to succeed.