Every organization needs teams that work well together to achieve its organizational goals and for this, employers look for people who have team building skills. Having skills that help in building and managing a team successfully is a preferred qualification for many jobs and whether you are in a managerial role or part of a team, it is essential that you develop these skills. Team building qualities and skills help people work as a unified group rather than as individuals and feel motivated to work in unison towards the team goals with dedication. Let us look at some of the crucial team building skills that help individuals work as a cohesive group.
- Communication skills: The basic skill required for team building is good communication skills in both spoken and written communication. This is essential because individuals need to communicate their ideas, goals, and strategies to the other team members and also delegate tasks, etc. Unless and until you are able to express your thoughts clearly, others will not be able to understand you and team members cannot collaborate effectively. Communication is not just about speaking or writing but is also about attentive listening. People with good team building skills listen to the other team members attentively to understand their opinions and make them feel valued and appreciated.
- Team-player skills: Being a valuable team player is one of the essential team building skills as it improves collaboration and cooperation among the various team members. A team player values the ideas of other members and is open to feedback. An effective team player doesn’t hesitate to implement the feedback if needed and responds positively to constructive criticism.
- Problem-solving skills: A team consists of different individuals with different perceptions and this may lead to conflicts within the team. Conflicts may be regarding team goals and strategies or personal issues, whatever they may be; ability to resolve such issues is a prerequisite for a team builder. Team builders should be able to identify existing problems and potential problems they may have to face in the process of achieving their goals and solve these keeping all the members together in the process. To be able to solve problems the team builders should possess analytical skills along with the skills of brainstorming, conflict resolution, mediation, and negotiation.
- Leadership skills: Team builders need to develop the leadership skills as well to establish team goals, handle situations of conflict, solve project issues, and guide other team members working towards the accomplishment of team goals. They need to inculcate the skills of decision making, establishing standard operating procedures, maintaining consistency in work, and aligning team goals with the company goals.
- Other skills: To succeed as a team builder, you should be able to motivate the other team members when they are deviating from the team goals and this can be done in various ways – mentoring new leaders, encouraging good work, providing financial incentives, recognizing team achievements, etc. Along with motivation, team builders should imbibe the quality of delegation as well because no individual can complete a group’s tasks and goals all alone. You should be able to delegate work to the other team members based on their capabilities and interests and aligning them with the group goals. When responsibilities are shared among the team members effectively, the teamwork becomes efficient thereby making it easier to achieve the team goals within time.
Employers give importance to team building skills in their employees as they believe that higher productivity can be expected when there is high collaboration among their teams and team members as it leads to higher morale and fewer conflicts in the groups.