Seven Disciplines of A Leader

17Practice 6: Build an Optimal Team

Strong teams have defined expectations, clear goals, and a shared vision, and the personal and team discipline to achieve them. This discipline is built into the team structure, systems, processes, strategy, philosophies, values, policies, and plans. People want to work in a culture of high values, ethics, honesty, and discipline. They will sacrifice some degree, even a high degree, of personal freedom in exchange for team wins. Great leaders attract the best and brightest, and then turn them loose. They create a pipeline of talented and creative people. A leader's upbeat attitude becomes contagious, lifting the morale of all. Without highly motivated, inspired, and disciplined people, teams and organizations struggle.

Effective leaders are team builders. They understand that bringing people together creates harmony and allows them to work collaboratively toward achieving successes they never could accomplish alone. In truth, strong teams will make or break an organization.

A valuable team focuses on the same priorities and sees the big picture. The group learns to communicate better and respect one another, forging strong relationships and trust. Team building improves accountability and fosters rapport. When you're working on a team, there's no place to hide. If Mary and Lester don't get their jobs done, then I can't do my job, which means we're personally accountable to each other. When team members function well, they develop a satisfying ...