The process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal.

Be proactive Be dependable Communicate effectively (listen thoughtfully) Respect other team members Know conflict is inevitable Give credit where credit is due Be responsible for self

Clear focus Focus to achieve goals Plan for reaching those goals Commitment to the goal Competent members Diversity among team members Effective communication skills High standards of excellence Periodic self-assessment

Contributions Shaper – challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure, the drive to overcome obstacles Implementer – disciplined, reliable, conservative, efficient, turns ideas into to practical actions Completer/Finisher – searches out errors, completes on time, conscientious, anxious Prone to provocation and offends other’s feelings Somewhat inflexible and slow to respond to new possibilities Tends to worry unnecessarily, reluctant to delegate Allowable Weaknesses

Co-ordinator/Chair – confident, clarifies goals, good delegator, promotes decision making Team worker – co-operative, diplomatic, listen, builds, and averts friction Resource Investigator – extrovert, communicative, explores opportunities, develops contacts Often seen as manipulative and usually off loads work onto others Indecisive in crunch times Over optimistic, looses interest after initial phase ContributionsAllowable Weaknesses

Plant – creative, imaginative, solves difficult problems Monitor/Evaluator – sees all opinions, strategic, judges accurately Specialist – self starter, dedicated, provides knowledge and skill, Too preoccupied to communicate effectively, typically ignores incidentals Lacks drive and ability to inspire others Contributes only minimally, dwells on technicalities Allowable WeaknessesContributions

A person who guides and directs with authority to influence others. One who empowers and influences others to facilitate processes.

Respects the rights, dignity, opinions, and abilities of others Understands the principles of democracy Able to work with a group and guide group towards the goal Aware of own strengths and weaknesses Shows self-initiative, a willingness to work and complete tasks Praises others and give credit where credit is due, recognize individual contributions Good communicator/listener Able to motivate others Search for ways to improve Create standards of excellence Displays self confidence and truly believes they can make a difference

Democratic – encourages participations from all individuals to make a decision, listens to the opinions of others and then bases final decision on what is best for the group as a whole. Ex. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln Laissez-Faire – most informal type, allows the individuals in a group to function independently with little or no direction, strives to reach only minimal rules and/or regulations, “hands-off” policy, usually avoids making decisions until forced to do so. Ex. Ronald Reagan, JFK, Warren Buffet, Donna Karan Autocratic – often call a “dictator”, maintains total control, makes all of the decisions, has a difficult time delegating tasks, seldom asks for the opinions of others, emphasizes discipline, individuals usually follow because of fear of punishment or extreme loyalty Ex. Napoleon, Hitler

Pros Sense of self empowerment Relationships built on mutual trust Stronger commitment to performance outcomes Increased productivity Increased creativity and innovation Collaboration among members Leader can become dependent on subordinates Collaboration can consume valuable time Decisions may be difficult or even impossible Relying on consensus from people who are misinformed can lead to inaccurate data Leaders can become burdened by the challenges of overseeing collaborating teams Cons

Pros Allows for independent work which results in personal responsibility for work completed Motivated to perform to the best abilities possible Reinforces successful performance Leads to higher retention Allows a more creative environment Supports autonomous decision making Results in a lack of accountability of members Results in failure of individuals to achieve goals Leads to ineffective time management Leads to missed deadlines due to no set goal and/or deadline No “one” leader to provide information/example Cons

Pros Effective when decisions must come quickly, without time to consult others Prevents businesses or projects from becoming stagnant because of poor organization Keeps individuals/teams from missing important deadlines During stressful periods, tend to be more effective Potential abuse by leader Can stifle creativity from team members Discourages open communication between leader and subordinates Usually not a form of leadership others like to work under/with Cons