Get it Done!

There is a task, a goal and a timeline to get it done. You and several others have been asked to leave everything else and get this done.  You look around and you only know two or three people in the group. You look again at the task at hand. Can it be done within the given timeline? Why is it so important that I have to leave everything else I am doing? How will achieving this task in the company of strangers and within an overly ambitious timeline bring value to me?

I have been drawn into several taskforces like this one. We had more questions than the project sponsor could answer. Nevertheless, I gathered invaluable lessons working in these teams. I learnt there are three categories of people in a team:

1.      Those who wonder how so much got done;

2.      Those who would rather watch things done than be part of the action; and

3.      The group that get things done.  

Let's have a closer look at the three groups.

How did you get so much done?

There is nothing as energy sapping as working on a difficult task with a bunch of “prophets of doom”. Before they even hear the strategy to get the task done, they are already convinced that it is humanly impossible to achieve such a thing. They will punch holes in your strategy, whisper doubts into the minds of the other team members and never make a suggestion to improve your strategy. They literally drain life out of the team. You can be sure they will taunt you with endless "I told you so!" mockery if you don't achieve the goal in the first few trials. But when you finally achieve victory, it is such an ego booster to see them baffled at your achievement. They even doubt that it has actually been achieved even when the results are tangible. 

Check out what they are doing!

Just like the spectators in a football match, this group makes the most noise and delivers no results. They diligently attend team meetings, but that's all they do! They are very vocal in the team, but hardly lift their finger to action. They take the form of super delegators - suggesting complex ways to get the task achieved and quickly volunteer the quieter team members to carry out the task. This is the lazy lot that wants to get all the credit from other people's sweat.

Let's get it done!

There is however a different breed of team players. A breed that is more concerned with acting rather than talking. They work in a highly coordinated fashion, consider the group’s ideas and agree a strategy. When they get into action, each one knows their role and plays their part. They know how important their small input contributes to the end result. They take pride in their workmanship and give their full focus on the project. It's not a competition, it’s a collaboration. When you work in such a team, you draw energy from the members because they will never let you give up. Their enthusiasm and positive attitude is infectious. You just want to keep going. In such teams, they get things done effectively and efficiently. 

It is in working with this third group that I have drawn some critical success factors for high performance teams:

a.       The Team Leader

A team's leader is not a task master. The leader has to effectively influence team members into action without coercing them. The effective leader has to sell the project vision to team members to own it. His communication skills are critical especially at the start of the project to set the right pace. Technical ability is not sufficient, they must possess soft skills of motivating others, planning, decision making and conflict resolution. The team leader will make or break the team.

b.        Buy Into the Vision

If you do not believe in something, you will save the team a lot of pain by removing yourself from it. When members buy into the project’s vision then chances of working effectively are higher. At the onset of the project, members must seek to understand the aim of the project. They have to be fully convinced of the need to accomplish the given task to be self-driven.

c.        Know your strength

A chain is as strong as its weakest link and so is the team. Each member must know what they are good at and stick to it. You performance will be as strong as the weakest member of the team. If you position them in the task that they are good at, you convert them into a strength for the team.

d.       See the BIG picture

It is possible to get so engrossed on details that you forget what you were trying to achieve. You have to be cautious with the perfectionists in your team. They can get carried away redoing their bit and forget the delay they are causing for the whole project. Everything must be done in the context of the bigger picture - the end goal. Are you delaying a process that is dependent on your output? Are you still within the budget in terms of time and resources? Are the modifications you are making compatible with other parts of the project? 

e.       Appreciate each team member

The painter standing on a ladder leaning on a high wall cannot despise the fellow holding the ladder on the ground. The display of the painter’s skill is made possible by the person at the bottom of the ladder holding it firmly. Even though they may not be skillful in painting, if they walk away, the painter will inevitably fall off the ladder. In a team there is no task too small that it should be despised. Everyone's role should be appreciated and respected. 

When you are part of the team, remember that you are not there to watch things get done or to wonder how they got done. You are there to get things done. Choose the right team leader, have a common vision, work in your area of strength, see the big picture and appreciate the roles played by others. Next time you are in a team, focus on getting the task completed. Just get it done!