Jordan 13 How Great Leaders Successfully Jumpstart

0510VENUS20

many clients have been telling me they're launching new teams this month. But there's a catch - these are new teams made of "old parts," which is to say no brand new employees are on the teams. The teams are comprised entirely of managers, professionals, and staff who have been reorganized to better meet market demand.
Is it any different launching a brand new team vs. a reorganized one? I don't think so, but it's easier to blow it, because of assumptions you make about people you already know. The steps are the same; it's the nuances that are different.
Most leaders and their direct reports do a fantastic job of addressing the goals and business objectives of the team and of planning the tasks to be done. It's the building of relationships that is too scant or poorly executed, and this is why it's essential to build a relationship with each new team member, and to get any relationship issues out on the table so they can be addressed. If you don't have time to deal with relationships now, when exactly will you? This also gives you a chance to spend time with new team members and learn who's on board and ready to move forward with you and who isn't.
Let's look a little more closely at underlying relationship problems, because they always come back to bite you. Because your team is comprised of people who already have working relationships of some sort, you need to understand what's already going on,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], who's likely to work well together to produce results, and if there are problems to be addressed early on.
You also need to observe what's never going to be fixed because, frankly, this means you need to eliminate someone (or several someone's) from this team soon. It sounds harsh, but it's the truth. I see more leaders drag down their teams with team members who hate each other,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], each one waiting out the other, hoping the hated peer will quit or get fired. This makes it impossible for the team to get to work and move the organization forward.
Be sure to check your relationship assumptions at the door,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], even as you keep your legitimate concerns. A legitimate concern is one that's backed up by observed behavior or reports from reliable and utterly trustworthy sources. If you've seen two people nearly try to kill each other while working on separate teams, you can safely assume you'll need to do some heavy-duty relationship repair or eliminate one of them from the team, but remember that there are plenty of relationship problems and strong points that are mostly hidden from you. This is true for all leaders. There are no exceptions. You just can't see everything that's going on all the time, nor should you in most cases (that would be micromanagement). But this is also why you have to ask.
To that end, here's what I see the best leaders doing,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], generally in this order:
1. Meet with each of your direct reports one-on-one, preferably in person, in a private place.
During the one-on-one, ask each direct report to share any observations or concerns, not just about the business goals and objectives for the team, but about the team's ability to work well together to get the job done. Be open about your own concerns, too, to encourage a frank discussion and to begin building a trusting relationship with each of your new direct reports. No, they won't tell you everything, but you'll at least establish that you want a relationship characterized by frank exchange.
Ask what he or she needs from you as a leader. You might be surprised. If you don't ask, you will give your directs what you want from a leader, not what they want, which is often different. I'm working with two leaders now whom I'm convinced are among the most independent people on the planet. They constantly have to remind themselves that 80% or more of the managers and professionals in their organization want what seems like an absurd and downright insulting level of direction, because their needs are different.
Share what you need from him o