Leadership #7 - Promote Cooperation and Trust in Your Team

Leaders have a problem - is the team really following you? Just because everyone seems to be moving in the same direction does not mean that everyone is on the same team! The Chinese has a very nice saying for this "Same bed, different dreams"

Of course, that saying originally pointed at broken marriages, but think of it in the context of your team. While not as tightly knit as a marriage, a team is nonetheless comprised of many individuals with their objectives and efforts intertwined.

As a leader, you need to build a high level of cooperation. The team must learn to work together. Most people are aware of this. Traditionally, when you work together, you do your work, and I do mine. You do your work well, and I do mine to perfection. Job well done. You, as a leader, do you think that everyone is working together in this scenario?

I would like to introduce another aspect to "working together" which is often ignored. When you are working together, you need to not only perform your tasks and execute your plans, but you should also keep an eye out for your team mates. See and call out if they make mistakes, extend a helping hand if they seem to have too full a plate; really, work TOGETHER. There is no better illustration of this than a team of climbers scaling a 100 feet rock wall. Sure, there is a leader. Of course each climber needs to be skilled and competent. Yet, at the core of it all, they make it up as a team. Can you do it solo? Most certainly, but then, you would not be much of a leader if no one can follow!

Cooperation, no matter how difficult it might appear to be, with varied personalities and conflicting objectives, is still easier to achieve than trust. The leader, to be a good leader, must understand this. One of the surest sign of good leadership is when team members trust you. But the sign of excellent leadership is when team members trust you AND each other. When you build a network of trust within the team, the entire team is all the stronger because of that.

As more support and cooperation comes into play, as more trust is built, a once mediocre team can soar to heights of excellence that would baffle more competent competitors. It is not how good you are, but how good the team is. Team performance rests a lot on good leadership. If nothing else, promote cooperation and trust in your team; it is more than half the way towards becoming a good leader.

In our next installment, we will be looking at how leaders can Share Power.

To catch up, here are my previous posts:


- Leadership #1: Articulate Your Personal Vision As a Leader


- Leadership #2: Putting Action To Your Words


- Leadership #3: Have a Vision


- Leadership #4: Share the Vision


- Leadership #5: Learn and Grow


- Leadership #6: Take Risks

Leadeship #2 - Putting Action Into Words

It is so easy to talk. After all, it's only words. Yet, these same words can come back and haunt you in the worse way. As a leader, this is a fact you need to be aware of. If you have shared your personal values as a leader, than the logical next step is to ensure that you make good on it.

From this, you will understand clearly that "sharing your personal values" is not just a cliche. It is not something that you "do" for your speeches. Your personal values should be exactly that - yours. Everyone have their beliefs, their likes and dislikes. Whether you choose to share them with others is your perogative. However, it would be most unwise to try to create a false persona by blithely listing some "values" that you think others would appreciate.

Action speaks louder than words, and in the case of a leader, those actions can solidify or destroy all the goodwill and trust that have been built.

Let us go for a safe example. Kindness. That is a character trait. Must be kind to animals, that could be a possible personal value. Now, if this is really not a value that you hold dear to your heart, don't say it. After a few beers, you go happily on your way, and then... you pat the dog, or you kick the cat? At a time when our guard is down, when we least expect it, our true values surfaces. It is bad enough to kick the cat, but there could be a million explanations and justifications. While that is bad, it is so much worse if you presented yourself as an animal lover, and then get caught in that despicable act. Kiss your leadership goodbye. You can still be "boss"; but you ain't git no respect!

It is important to articulate your personal values, it is even more important not to be dishonest in any way about them. Some people are not even sure what their personal values are, and so find it difficult to articulate them. But when you ACT, your values shine through. So, be careful what you say. Your words are a testimony more powerful than you know. Your actions then become the final straw that will either seal that truth or break the illusion you try to create.

On final point, some leaders try to "walk the talk". That is fine as long as the efforts are genuine. If you are building up new habits, if you are trying a new tact, fine. But never mis-represent that these are your already your values; your words, if not seen in action, mean nothing.

In the next installment, we will explore how a leader should "Have A Vision".

This is the second installment on Leadership. The first one, "Leadership - Articulate your Personal Values as a Leader" is also published here at http://www.ezinearticles.com/.