To achieve great things, you need a great team, period. 

 

As SW3 is gears up for the Queen’s visit as she tours the Chelsea Flower today, it’s worth remembering that this world famous show is ultimately all down to the hard work of the team at the Royal Horticultural Society.

 

This team isn’t only responsible for Chelsea, but also for flower shows at Hampton Court Palace, Tatton Park, and seasonal shows at the RHS Gardens and the Society’s halls in London.  It employs 552 full-time staff and 188 part-time staff, as well as relying on more than 1,000 volunteers in its gardens and at the shows.  A pretty big team! 

 

So whatever your goal or project, be it the Chelsea Flower Show or the implementation of a new staff training programme, you need to add value and invest in your team so the end product benefits from more ideas, energy, resources and perspectives. Building any award-winning team requires understanding of these 5 key rules:-

 

 

The goal is more important than the role.

Members must be willing to lower their roles and personal agendas to support the team vision.

 

By seeing the big picture and effectively communicating that vision to the team, providing the needed resources, and hiring the right players, leaders or managers, can create a more unified team.

 

 

All players have a place where they add the most value.

 

Essentially, when the right team member is in the right place, everyone benefits.

 

To be able to put people in their right places and fully utilise their talents and maximise potential, you need to know your players and the team situation. Evaluate each person’s skills, discipline, strengths, emotions and potential.

 

 

As any workplace challenge escalates, so the need for teamwork elevates. Managers or leaders need to focus on the team and the dream should take care of itself.

 

The type of challenge determines the type of team that is required:-

 

– A new challenge requires a creative team. An ever changing challenge needs a fast, flexible team

 

– An Everest-sized challenge needs an experienced team. Leaders need to see who needs direction, support, coaching or more responsibility.

 

Add members, change leaders to suit the challenge of the moment and remove ineffective members.

 

 

Great teams have great depth. Any team that wants to excel must have good substitutes as well as starters. The key to making the most of the law of the bench is to continually improve the team.

 

 

The difference between two equally talented teams is leadership. A good leader can bring a team to success, provided values, work ethic and vision are in place.

 

The Myth of the Head Table is the belief that on a team, one person is in charge in every situation. Understand that in particular situations, maybe another person would be best suited to leading the team.

 

The Myth of the Round Table is that belief that everyone is equal, which is not true. The person with greater experience and productivity in a given area is more important to the team in that area. Compensate where it is due.

 

Want to read more tips for Effective Teamwork? 

 

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