Team Skills

A real team has all of the skills needed to achieve its goals. Sometimes it might not be obvious what each team member brings to the team. We often judge team members by their current job title and forget they have a wealth of other experiences and skills. This can often lead to conflict when members weigh in, offer advice or different perspectives. Other members may question the validity of their comments. It can also lead to members being under appreciated and their wealth of skills not being considered.

So It is really important to look beyond the current job title or role and explore together what skills each member has.

There are three categories of skills:

➤ Technical or functional: the expert knowledge and skills necessary for their field – e.g. a management team in a software development firm is likely to need the complementary skills of engineering and marketing.

➤ Problem-solving and decision-making: including identifying problems, evaluating options and making decisions.

➤ Interpersonal skills: effective communication, constructive conflict, risk-taking, curiosity, support and challenge, all of which are vital to successful collaboration.

Team members are often recruited for their technical or functional expertise, and interpersonal skills are ignored or pushed down the pecking order. This is a mistake. Have you ever heard the phrase, "hire the will and develop the skill". What you are really looking for in team members is both skill (or potential to develop the skill) and the right attitude, behaviours and values. I hear many Managers say, ‘I have hired the smartest people in the field, so why can’t they work together?’

Fortunately, collaboration and team dynamics can be learned as a leader, and as a team member.