Building a Gold-Medal Team: Essential Qualities for Success"
Though one person may serve as the designated leader, often the leadership role rotates among its members according to the current project. The leader willingly relinquishes his or her role, and team members do not greedily grab for it. The team entity is too valuable to permit a power struggle, so effective teams recognize that the success of a team supersedes individual success; individuals win or lose as a team.
Building a Powerful Team: Foundational Characteristics
Perhaps one of the best examples of true teamwork is conveyed by Thomas Quick as he describes a surgical team, headed by a surgeon. The team includes surgical assistants, nurses, anesthetist, and technician. Each function is specialized and highly skilled, and each person knows that his or her success is dependent on the other members of the team. All are committed to one objective—the well being of the patient.
Infusing Team-Mindedness to Compound Cohesion
The quality of relationships among the executive leadership team is a primary factor in developing effective teams throughout the whole organization. Researchers Hersey and Blanchard indicate that the most significant factors in the productivity of an organization pertain to the interpersonal relationships therein. These relationships are foundational to the success of effective teams. This is a linchpin for all leaders.