Team building - Creating a team

Before you start to think about team building workshops, let's take a step back. Why has the team been formed? Before you start to think about the members of the team, the most important step is to clearly understand why this team needs to exist. Here are some ideas for the questions you need to ask yourself at this stage.

	What task needs to be completed?
	What skills do I need to complete this task effectively?
	What, exactly, do I need this team to do?
	Which people have the necessary skills?
	How long will it take to complete the task?
	How will I know when the task is completed?
	How will I measure ongoing progress?
	How will I recognise and reward team members?
	How will I actively exploit individual ideas and skills?

You may think that this only applies to teams that are created for a one off project. This is not the case. Teams who have longer term goals such as sales teams need this clarity of purpose just as much. Without clear goals and a reason to exist, the team will lose momentum over time.

For both project teams and long term operational teams, clarity of purpose and alignment of goals is critical to success. Many team building experts say that you should go for quick wins as a way of building motivation. Our advice is to get the motivation and enthusiasm right before you even start building the team. By doing this, you'll find that the team can only be successful. You won't need to waste effort on quick wins that look impressive but don't build into longer term success which is ultimately how the success of the team will be judged. No-one will look back and congratulate you for those quick wins that everyone forgets about just as quickly. You will be congratulated for what the team is doing right now and for the longer term, more solid successes that the team will deliver.