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Understanding team personalities

Caroline Mboijana, Managing Director, The Leadership Team (U). 

What you need to know:

  • Understanding and appreciating one’s strengths and styles not only enables the team members to gel but also to have an awareness of their team so that they can navigate behaviours during periods of stress etc.

I lead a team of senior managers who have come together as a team following an organization restructure one or two have worked together while others are new working together even though they know each other. Where do I begin in leading this team to success?

Hello Colin, congratulations on being appointed to lead a senior management team, which suggests you are a C-Suite role holder. Coming off the back of a restructure is tough so I suspect there is a little tension and emotion as some staff would have been lost.

 My first thought is that given these are senior managers, they have likely had some sort of technical assessment before their appointment and given their technical attributes have been appointed. If this is the case, then my advice is that your focus should be on getting the team to know and understand each. 

You may want to have a team building session which is a combination of learning and fun. At this point I keep it light, you will have plenty of time to do the hard strategy work.

It would be good for you to have sessions where you learn about each other’s strengths and developmental areas so as a team you leverage on your combined strengths. This sort of team building session may require you and your team to take psychometric tests that are about leadership styles and behaviour at an individual level and as a team. Understanding and appreciating one’s strengths and styles not only enables the team members to gel but also to have an awareness of their team so that they can navigate behaviours during periods of stress etc. This team building can also be an opportunity for the team to decide how they want to work together, almost setting down ground rules and values they want to live by as they work together.

It is important that you get an external facilitator so that you as the team leader also participate because you are part of the team. 

 Please also ensure that whatever outcomes are agreed upon are committed to so that there is full ownership of the team. 

Good luck!