Jessica joined RWA in 2018, having graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Film Studies. Her role as a content designer involves developing new and engaging e-learning modules as well as assisting in the creation of articles for Insight.
Building the Right Team
As a leader, building the right team is crucial for success. Whether it's a project team or an operational team, understanding your team's strengths and weaknesses can set the limits of achievement. Some leaders get to choose and build their own teams, while others inherit them from previous managers. Regardless, having the right people onboard is essential.
A good quality team comprises people with the right skills, personalities, and values. Some roles may require specific qualifications or experience, so appointing someone with technical and specialist skills is important. Some skills can even be outsourced, such as hiring third-party organisations for in-house accountants or IT support.
Training team members is also a great way to help them grow as individuals and develop your team. While external appointments are often attractive to employers, recruiting from within is sometimes wiser. Internal appointments already know the workplace and have developed personal and professional networks that can be applied positively.
Diversity is vital for a team's success, not just in personal characteristics like gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, and disability. It also concerns personality and style. A team consisting of only one type of personality or style can lead to difficulties, a team of extroverts for example may result competitive and unfocused workplace, likewise, a team of introverts may have problems with assertiveness. A team with a mixture and balance of personalities and styles is most likely to be effective.
While diverse skill sets and personalities are essential, team members' values should align with the firm's values. Staff retention rates are likely to be higher when values are shared. Work with your team to match their values with what the team does and wants to achieve.
Having a focused team with diverse and relevant skills can help you achieve success in your projects and business operations. It's essential to invest in your team and understand their values, personalities, and skills to build a productive and successful team.
Users of the Development Zone can access a range of curated modules on building the right team through our Content Catalogue, including:
- Improving Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
- Managing Conflict In The Management and Leadership Team
- Team Formation - Introduction
For those not currently using the system, you can find out more and request a free 14-day trial here: https://mydevelopment.zone/#getStarted