Matt Church penned this fabulous piece on his take on the four different types of teams.
He suggests there are:
- functional teams
- family teams
- elite teams and
- floundering teams
He has a nice model that summarises their characteristics with some suggested approaches for managing or leading each one..
It’s well worth the read as it makes some good points, and no doubt you’ll recognise teams you have worked (or work?) in.
But I think the best bit of the article is his post script which is this:
Note: It’s possible that pitch teams, creative teams and leadership teams operate in different models to these; every model is useful, until it’s not. Use this framework to plan an intentional team culture and get very explicit about what you want from the people on your team.
So today’s quick tip on team development .. And I know it sounds stupidly obvious..
Before you get into any fancy models – firstly be intentional about your team culture.
Don’t just think it will happen by osmosis. It might – but perhaps not the way you wanted it to!
What culture do you want? What sort of characteristics do you want?
The very act of being intentional and thinking about it will bring clarity that is the starting point for any great high performing team.
Want more?
If you would like to discuss how I could help you look at your teams, get in touch.
And if you’re still hungry for more on being a great leader of teams you can find my leadership book here and click here for more resources on how to build a great team.
Until next week, happy leading.