Successfully Leading an Effective Team Part 1

Successfully Leading an Effective Team Objectives Identify Effective Teams Discuss why Leaders are Important Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals Selecting the Team Members Communicating Important Information to the Team Introduce objectives

Any other team you can think of Activity 1 Business Name an effective team Television shows Sports Music Have students name teams they think are effective. The team they select can be from any category.   Write team names in visible area. Any other team you can think of

Discussion 1 How did these teams become effective? Have students discuss why they believe these teams are effective.   If they get off track, guide them to the idea that great leadership is the foundation.

Leadership Leaders are important because they… Keep a team productive Keep a team unified Set the tone of the team Select team members Communicate important information to the team Discuss how important having a good leader is to a team.   Ask the students who is the leader of the school’s team.

Goals Specific- Who, what, why and how. Measureable – You must have a target to know if you have met the goal. Attainable – Stretches you a little, but is still within reach. Realistic – What’s needed to achieve the goal is available and the goal fits with assignment. Timely – Timeframes set team members expectations of when work is due. Explain S.M.A.R.T. acronym   S – The team’s goals must be specific. Answering questions such as: Who, What, Why and How will help to make goals clear. M – Goals must be measurable so that the team knows if it has made any progress. Having a target helps the team determine if the work made a difference? A – Goals should always be attainable. A goal should be a bit of a stretch, but no so far away that there is no way to achieve it. R – Make sure that goals are realistic. The information and skills needed to reach the goals should be available and the goals should fit the overall assignment of the team. T – Setting a timeframe for goals allows the team to know when tasks need to be accomplished. This sets team members’ expectations of when work needs to be completed.

Activity 2 Is this a S.M.A.R.T. goal? Make an A in this class. No. I must exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, so that I can lose 5 pounds in 1 month. Yes. I want to make the Varsity basketball team next year. Have students determine whether or not goals are S.M.A.R.T.   Ask why goal is or is not S.M.A.R.T. once they select an answer. Have them pick apart each statement. No. I will become a better cook and increase my cooking skills by preparing 1 new dish per week for 1 month. Yes.

Selecting a Team Discussion Traits of a team player: Honest On Time Willing to Compromise Committed Enthusiastic Focused Goal-Oriented Good Attitude Flexible Ask students for some traits of people who work well on a team.   Display list after receiving some answers. Point out that as a leader, it is best to select members based on their ability to get the job done and not based on friendship or popularity.

Activity 3 Who would you pick for your team? Cindy Anna Mark Jake Really smart and does good work, but is never on time with assignments. Really good at figuring out difficult problems and always has a great attitude. Your relative who never really focuses on the task at hand. Ask students which of these people they would like to be on their team.   Have some students share who they selected and why. Jake Tasha Friendly and gets along with everyone. Very good at organizing tasks. A real go-getter; always enthusiastic about taking on something new and usually does a good job.

Communicating Important Information Discussion Why leaders should communicate: What leaders should communicate: Team needs to understand task Set the team’s expectations on what’s expected Overall Task/Assignment Goals Operating Guidelines – Rules governing the team Discuss with students why and what Leaders should communicate.

Activity 4 Ways a Leader can communicate important information: Team Meetings Handout with information on it Emails Individual conversations with each member Have students share how they think a leader should communicate information.

Summary What did you learn? Communicating Important Information Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals Selecting the Right Team Members Have students summarize three steps and what they learned. What did you learn?