Being an Ambassador for Teams

Leadership at the top of the organization promotes and campaigns for the effective use of teams. Coaches and resource professionals connect team leaders to key departments and power players. Peer team leaders are often expected to represent their teams at meetings. The other members are usually not even invited to these meetings. It is crucial that the image of your team be a positive one ”and that the organization views your team as an asset. It is also crucial that the members of your team understand that they are not empowered to do whatever they want. They are empowered to make their part of the business successful to fulfill the needs of the larger organization. Change may be uncomfortable for most people but it is inevitable in today's world. Without change you don't need leaders; you just need administrators. Diplomacy is a tool you will need to use to give your teams the chance to succeed. When you accept the fact that you are a leader, you take on the responsibility of being an ambassador.

You should be aware of the temptations you are likely to face. You will know about the "dirty laundry" of your team. Someday, when your boss is grilling you about the less-than - stellar performance of your team, you may be tempted to complain about the members. Conversely, someday you may find yourself tempted to become popular with your team members by bad-mouthing upper management, declaring them to be out of touch or failing to provide adequate support. Team leaders are the connectors in an organization dedicated to utilizing the team concept. You need to put a genuine positive spin on imperfect efforts aimed in the right direction. You also need to confront broken promises and inadequate efforts in order to be credible. You are the person in the middle. This will feel awkward . This may be uncomfortable. But if you do not step up to this task, the use of teams will not transform the organization.

In addition to being the messenger ”remember what happened to the messenger in the famous Greek myth? ”you need to find innovative ways to play matchmaker. You need to identify opportunities to connect members of the teams you are helping to the rest of the organization. An organizing tool that might help you with this is commonly referred to as the "star" system. Encourage five of the members of your team to serve as "points" of your star team. Figure 1 provides an example.

Figure 1: The "Star" System (Sample).

One team member helps track the team's safety record; you connect him with Plant Engineering to coordinate efforts to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Another member monitors quality issues (scrap rates, tolerances, internal customer satisfaction, etc.) ”you connect her with resource people providing training in Six Sigma, Quality Assurance, and other tools and techniques. Another member systematically charts cost data as materials flow through your team's department. You connect him with key professionals in the accounting and purchasing departments. Another team member keeps his peers informed about the production schedule and whether the team is keeping up with it. Still another member champions efforts to keep the workplace clean and have all tools and materials returned to their proper location.

You help these five point people meet the internal authority and resource people for your team's benefit. This may get your teammates invited to represent the team at meetings and to play an important role at your own team meetings on their subject matter expertise. You let them know that they are the " go-to " guys on the team for their area. Such a system not only ensures that the team concept doesn't rest solely on the shoulders of one team leader, it also makes sure that the team does not become insulated . The star system keeps people involved in meaningful ways.

One of the dangers in using a team concept is that members start to focus only on their own corner of the operation and fall prey to tendencies to compete with other teams. Your team's purpose is not only to build relations between members and find productive ways to complete its task; it also is to interconnect teams as part of a strategy to get the overall organization to succeed. As mentioned in chapter 7, members may unconsciously associate the use of teams with competition between teams. Sports teams are not expected to find ways to collaborate with other teams in their league, but work teams are. What is the mental model of teams among the members in your organization? Exercise 29 should prove useful for trying to get your members discussing this point, and it's fun. You need to help team members feel good about themselves and feel good about being part of the overall organization. You need to promote a mental model of teams as the vehicle for achieving a better organization. Jobs are secured by the success of the organization. Teams and collaboration between teams are key forces in creating a productive and satisfying work life.