Creating a Plan for Positive Influence, Essay Example

Establishing an effective team environment requires a leader to possess a series of characteristics that are effective in supporting the team dynamic and its overall success. Therefore, it is important to convey a greater understanding of teams, including such factors as motivation, strength, commitment, knowledge, experience, and direction. Each of these represents a unique opportunity for the leader to explore different approaches that will be successful in supporting the desired team objectives. In preparing for a large team project, the leader must demonstrate exemplary leadership so that the team effectively communicates and shares ideas regarding the project and its primary needs. Therefore, this process requires the team leader to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the team, to assign tasks accordingly, and to consider the roles and expectations of each team member and how they will succeed within the team dynamic.

Since all teams are comprised of differing learning styles, personalities, and individual characteristics, it is essential that the team leader exercise sound and ethical judgment in supporting the team and its specific needs, while also considering how individual members might maximize their contribution to the team throughout the group effort. Since it is inevitable that all teams will possess strong personalities and subsequent differences of opinion, it is important for the team leader to establish boundaries regarding these issues so that the team is well aware of its objectives at the beginning of the team relationship. This process will ensure that the team is on the right track to develop a mutually beneficial environment for all parties. It is imperative that the team environment demonstrates an effective approach to the required tasks, and that differences in personality and characteristics must be managed successfully at the start of the team process.

From an emotional perspective, it is imperative for the team to establish a professional yet enthusiastic demeanor under all conditions, and that these emotions should not get in the way of the ability of the team to achieve its desired outcomes. This process requires the team to effectively understand its emotional strengths and limitations, and for them to recognize the areas that might prohibit emotional growth and intelligence. This is a critical opportunity for the leader to establish a strong example for the entire team. This process is instrumental so that the team is in a strong place to overcome any emotional obstacles that may influence team objectives and outcomes. Therefore, it is essential for the team to address these potential challenges at the beginning of the process before any real work begins on the project in question.

In all team environments, it is also inevitable that attitudes and perspectives may be diverse and perhaps very difficult to overcome, particularly when the team is comprised of one or more strong personalities. When addressing these attitudes, the team leader must exercise a complete awareness of the attitudes that prevail on the team and how these might influence outcomes in different ways. This process enables the team members to address these concerns up front and center as the team dynamic is being established. This is a difficult yet rewarding process for team members, as it supports their overall understanding of where they are all coming from, and how they might best contribute to the team process as a whole. This strategy requires the team lead to assess attitudes and perspectives and to “clear the air” regarding member beliefs before the team’s real work begins. These efforts will demonstrate that the team is likely to go far in achieving its objectives, particularly when these issues have been addressed as early as possible.

With respect to team values, each member of the team must demonstrate respect for all other members, and must also respect the team’s tasks and roles in achieving the desired objectives and outcomes. This process is instrumental in order to ensure that the direction of the team is positive. There are many other factors that play a role in this process, and these reflect an opportunity for team members to address their values and potential contributions to the team environment in a positive and meaningful light. This process will enable the team to establish a unified front and to take charge of its responsibilities in achieving team goals. This process will also ensure that each member shares similar values that will support the overall team and its objectives. Therefore, the team leader must be responsible for ensuring that the team dynamic is identified, accompanied by a series of core values that will guide the team throughout this process to achieve the necessary outcomes.

Finally, the performance of the team and its individual members is contingent upon the establishment of a team dynamic at the beginning of the process that will facilitate effective results. This process is instrumental in shaping the team and in assigning roles to each of its members, based upon their individual strengths. One team member might possess a strong creative side, while another might demonstrate stronger analytical skills. From this approach, the team leader must conduct an assessment that addresses the strengths and weaknesses of each member, and how these might contribute to the overall ability of the team to achieve its objectives. The leader must assign tasks based upon this evaluation, and should also consider the ways in which the team will be most successful, considering the characteristics of its members. This process is essential to the overall discovery of the necessary means to achieve the project requirements. Therefore, an effective balance must be achieved that will consider the different traits within the team dynamic that will be used to support the team’s overall goals. There are many different approaches that may be taken from a team leader’s perspective to address these concerns, and these reflect the leader’s own creativity and strength within the leadership role. The primary objectives of the team must emphasize individual strengths, minimize weaknesses, and work both implicitly and explicitly to support the overall needs of the team. In this context, the team environment may take on many different forms, but regardless of the choices that are made, the development of a successful team environment is based upon the overall nature of the team dynamic and its ability to overcome obstacles and move forward towards the overall objectives. This is a critical opportunity for the team leader to take charge of the team at its inception and to consider the different challenges that are evident in supporting the team, its overall goals and objectives, and its individual members in a professional, compassionate, committed, supportive, and knowledgeable manner.