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There is an extensive segmented article in the Nov. issue of Fast Company about leading teams. Below is just one of several statements by business owners. My question and I invite your comments, is this. Should we not be acting as a team leader, the team including the client, and as such, scrutinizing those clients, subs and vendors to assure that the team is comprised of those “team thinking” people needed to complete the proposed project successfully? Perhaps, we should become more selective in those team members. Could that not at least minimize the typical problems we all have during the project process. I think it’s at least something to think about and Mr. Jonath’s comments are astute.
Franklin Jonath
President Jonath & DiMeo Inc.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Given a group of talented people and a project that is worthy, it’s the leader who makes a team succeed. In theater and in sports, teams get a chance to practice a lot before the main event takes place. It should be the same in the corporate world. A good team leader will create an environment in which people can practice and make mistakes before they’re pressured to produce.
A skilled leader will also focus on managing the interactions between people, as opposed to managing individual behavior. That allows individuals to manage their ownbehavior.
A good leader recognizes that everyone is competitive to some degree. He or she is careful to accentuate people’s different strengths, rather than stigmatize them for their weaknesses. There’s no need to stop people from competing, but that rivalry has to be channeled into cooperative competitiveness.
The idea is for the team leader to be at the service of the group. It should be clear that the team members own the outcome. The leader is there to bring intellectual, emotional, and spiritual resources to the team. Through his or her actions, the leader should be able to show the others how to think about the work that they’re doing in the context of their lives. It’s a tall order, but the best teams have such leaders.
Franklin Jonath ( [email protected] ) is the president of Jonath & DiMeo Inc., a management-consulting firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His work focuses on addressing individual- and group-communications issues. He specializes in diagnosing individual and group problems as well as designing and implementing practical solutions.
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There is an extensive segmented article in the Nov. issue of Fast Company about leading teams. Below is just one of several statements by business owners. My question and I invite your comments, is this. Should we not be acting as a team leader, the team including the client, and as such, scrutinizing those clients, subs and vendors to assure that the team is comprised of those "team thinking" people needed to complete the proposed project successfully? Perhaps, we should become more selective in those team members. Could that not at least minimize the typical problems we all have during the project process. I think it's at least something to think about and Mr. Jonath's comments are astute.
Franklin Jonath
President Jonath & DiMeo Inc.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Given a group of talented people and a project that is worthy, it's the leader who makes a team succeed. In theater and in sports, teams get a chance to practice a lot before the main event takes place. It should be the same in the corporate world. A good team leader will create an environment in which people can practice and make mistakes before they're pressured to produce.
A skilled leader will also focus on managing the interactions between people, as opposed to managing individual behavior. That allows individuals to manage their ownbehavior.
A good leader recognizes that everyone is competitive to some degree. He or she is careful to accentuate people's different strengths, rather than stigmatize them for their weaknesses. There's no need to stop people from competing, but that rivalry has to be channeled into cooperative competitiveness.
The idea is for the team leader to be at the service of the group. It should be clear that the team members own the outcome. The leader is there to bring intellectual, emotional, and spiritual resources to the team. Through his or her actions, the leader should be able to show the others how to think about the work that they're doing in the context of their lives. It's a tall order, but the best teams have such leaders.
Franklin Jonath ( [email protected] ) is the president of Jonath & DiMeo Inc., a management-consulting firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His work focuses on addressing individual- and group-communications issues. He specializes in diagnosing individual and group problems as well as designing and implementing practical solutions.