These are 3 helpful tips to create effective teams. This is not rocket science but common sense and understanding of the human nature.


1. Communicate, communicate, communicate through a process of listening, speaking, doing to make your goals and intentions known well in advance. Even when the people following you don't completely agree with what you are saying, if you are fair, open and honest at least they will trust and rely on your word. Once you demonstrate credibility by proving that you are there to help them succeed, they will take more interest in your communication and facilitate it by providing you with useful communication, feedback, and ideas for improvement.

2. Model the behaviors they want to see in those who follow you. If you want punctuality from your team members, always be on time. If you want a clean workplace, never hesitate to lift a broom or pick up a piece of trash on the floor. In other words, lead by example. No gesture is too small, as these have a combined effect over time. Every action is like an advertisement and a marketing and ad man will tell you it takes a minimum 7 exposures to an ad for a viewer to retain the message. This is a passive way of teaching but small, deliberate actions can speak more clearly than loud and fancy words.

3. Work through teams to set and achieve goals, solve problems and learn in the process. In the lean thinking philosophy we say "a leader is a teacher". A leader is only as good as their team, so unless you are blessed with a brilliant team, you can only succeed by helping your team mates increase their skills and knowledge.