Experience
“The team start was a very nice mix of getting to know each other, learning to trust each other, learning to lean on each other’s strengths, and focus on content as well.”
Click on Bas’ picture to read about his experience as the project leader of a starting team. Or listen to him speak in Dutch below.
Situation
You are the leader of a new team. In this start-up phase you have a lot on your mind and all players look at you:
- the board or steering committee expects a strategy and / or (project) plan ànd first results in the short term,
- your team members wait for you to take initiative,
- all kinds of other stakeholders try to exert their influence.
How do you ensure a flying start for your team, so that you can distribute your attention properly?
Results
A flying start to the team is successful if each team member has confidence in his role and contribution in the team and in the team as a whole. During the team start, we also bring the team together with the client(s) so that they gain confidence in the team, the plans and the working method.
A good start is half the battle, but what makes a good start? First of all, the time you take for it: two to four days. “That is a considerable investment” we hear you say. True and a valuable one! The signal you send with it is that you are serious about your desire to form a real team. Our experience is that teams with a solid start save time later and become high performing faster.
A second element of a good start is when the team starts to develop towards high performing. The first day will be dominated by mutual politeness and careful exploration. The second and third day allow room for team members to increasingly challenge each other. Our team start design offers room to ultimately have a first peak performance with each other.
In addition to team development, the team start also yields concrete agreements:
- what goals and results are we pursuing?
- how will we collaborate?
- who are we and what are our strengths and areas for development?
- how do we serve our stakeholders?