The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

36 / MANAGING A TEAM

High-performing teams

As Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler Corporation, said: “All business

operations can be reduced to three words: people, product, and profit.

People come first. Unless you’ve got a good team, you can’t do much with

the other two.” Successful managers are those who create, work with,

and manage successful teams.

WHO ARE WE?

Sharing strengths,

weaknesses, work

preferences, and

values allows the

establishment of a set of

common beliefs for the

team, creating a group

identity and a feeling of

“what we stand for.”

WHERE ARE WE

NOW?

Understanding the

current position means

that a team can

reinforce its strengths,

improve on its

weaknesses, and

identify opportunities

to capitalize on and

threats to be aware of.

WHERE ARE WE

GOING?

Teams need to have

a vision of the pot of

gold at the end of the

rainbow. They also need

a mission, a purpose,

and a set of specific

team goals that they

are all excited about.

Understanding team performance

Defining high-

performing teams

A team is two or more people who

meet regularly, perceive themselves

as a distinct entity distinguishable from

others, have complementary skills, and

are committed to a common purpose,

a set of performance goals, and an

approach for which they hold themselves

mutually accountable. High-performing

teams engage in collective work

produced by coordinated joint efforts

that result in more than the sum of the

individual efforts. Research and practical

experience have shown that teams with

many more than 12 members tend to

lack cohesion and struggle to make

fast and effective decisions.

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