How do you build teams that really work?

Some reflections from 15 years of experience

Team management is more than checklists, KPIs and weekly status meetings. It is an art, often intuitive, sometimes difficult to put into words, but one that gives great satisfaction when it starts to work like a well-tuned instrument.

I didn’t start with knowledge. I started with… observation.

In the first years of my career, I didn’t have a textbook for Team Management. I only had intuition and the people around me. I looked at my superiors, analyzed their behavior, asked myself questions:

– is what they are doing ok?
– Do I want to work this way?

Over time, I noticed that there are Leaders with whom one works lightly, sensibly and simply effectively. And then there are those whose methods did not appeal to me at all, even if the results said they were effective.

The former, in my eyes, not only achieved better results, but also attracted valuable people. This was not a coincidence. It was a style of work. And it was this style that I decided to develop.

From intuition to conscious action

I started looking. To read. To analyze. Finding out what it all “should” look like. And what did it turn out? That quite a few of my thoughts, although previously purely intuitive, have a very concrete, scientific basis. Especially in psychology.

It was a breakthrough. Psychology, which previously seemed to me rather “soft” and based on subjective opinions, showed its other, more analytical face. Neurology, biology, the study of human behavior in groups, all this made my management more conscious. I began to better understand emotions, my own and those of others. This made it easier for me to notice tensions, support people in more difficult moments and build Teams that really work together.

What works in team management?

Here are some things I’ve learned from these 15 years:

1. A team is not an arrangement of roles, but relationships
   Roles are important, sure. But if people don’t get along, don’t trust each other, and can’t talk straight about difficult things, no Excel will help.
2. Not every decision has to be “right,” it’s important that it be yours
   Copying other Leaders’ styles doesn’t work in the long run. What worked for someone else may not work for you. Finding your own style is the key.
3. Listen more, talk less, but be specific
   Contrary to appearances, an effective Leader doesn’t have to be the biggest talker in the room. Sometimes all it takes is one sentence to get something moving. But to know what to say, you must first listen well.
4. Awareness of emotions is not a fad, it’s a competitive advantage
   The ability to name emotions in oneself and others, avoids many conflicts and supports people in their development. It’s not a coaching slogan, it’s a concrete skill that can be developed.
5. A leader is not a superhero, but a person who knows his limitations
   And it is because of this that he is able to reach out for help, give responsibility and trust the Team. And the Team feels needed and important because of it.

You can always learn and from anyone

Today, Team Management for me is a constant process of learning from books, trainings, but most of all from the people I work with. And this is probably the most important lesson: no matter how many years of experience you have, there is always something you can do better. You just have to be willing to look a little deeper.

Because the Team is not a tool to achieve goals. It’s the people whose work together creates those goals.