Turning Great People into a Great Team

Hiring great people is the start to building a great team—but it’s hardly enough. Adam Bryant, who writes The New York Times column “Corner Office”, interviewed 525 chief executives about how they lead. Their pointers for keeping a team on top: Stress collaboration and communication.

• Create a clear and simple map: Build consensus on where you are going and how you will get there. Trouble begins when leaders list five, seven or ten priorities. As Jim Collins, author of the best-selling management book Good to Great, says: “If you have more than three priorities, you don’t have any.”
• Become a Broken Record: Remind your team of plans and priorities over and over. Marc Cenedella, chief executive of The Leaders.com, a job search site, says, “Until they start making jokes about how often you repeat it, they haven’t internalized it.”
• Acknowledge Team Culture: Team culture always happens, but too often it is not conscious or deliberate. Rather than take a laissez-faire approach, look for opportunities to set some shared guidelines for how to work together (Tweet it!). 
• Model Respectful Behavior: It is only when team members feel respected that they will bring their best selves and their best ideas to work.

What are your best practices for keeping a team motivated and productive? What caveats can you share? To join the conversation, click "comments" above.

If you would like to read more about creating a habit around masterful communication, check out our book: Be Quiet, Be Heard: The Paradox of Persuasion

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