Building a Winning Team

[usakos]

Bringing the right minds together for a crucial task can often be as daunting as the job itself.

Have a new product to get to prototype in six months? Need to crash through a systems rebuild? Whether it’s R&D, accounting, or IT, you must always assemble top-flight teams of people for complex and crucial tasks. Which is a crucial and often difficult chore itself: Building a great team means not just choosing the right combination of skill sets, but juggling the right mix of personalities.

Do you know how to get the job done? Straightforward, clearly defined tasks are better suited to what Khan calls a leader-led group, in which members work individually on specific tasks and report back to a top manager. If the task or process is unfamiliar, he recommends a real team, which has defined roles but a more fluid, dynamic structure.

Does the job require constant collaboration? Do colleagues need to work together to solve problems and deliver their work as a group? That calls for a real team. If colleagues will carry out key tasks individually, a leader-led process is the faster, smarter approach.

Do you have a leader? There’s an obvious but important point here: Leader-led groups require a strong boss – someone who understands roles, communicates well, knows what needs to be delivered and when.

Now it's your turn.

Add your points below on how to build an effective dream team for your project, start-up or growing business. Learn more at BNET.com.

[BusinessAdviser]

I'm a firm believer in the old adage, "Hire for attitude, train for skill."

[usakos]

Putting a talented team together is the most hardest and challenging thing in business life.

If you've started and built a startup, then you know what's like.