Leading Your Team: Building a Relationship with Your Team

BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, KNOW YOUR TEAM

Building a relationship with your team will be a challenge if you know that changes need to be made.  You don’t want to make any changes to your team until the direction and the strategy have been set.  In the meantime you need to be meeting with members of your team, learning what skills and abilities they have and whether they are considered top producers, producers or marginal players.

Keep the following in mind:

• Meet your direct reports and as many team members as possible in one-on-one meetings
• Understand each person’s function, their skill sets and abilities, and review their performance reviews
• Talk with former bosses and ask them for an assessment of your team’s talent
• Do not make any decisions about people until the direction and strategy are set
• Make your own assessment of people’s value — many times a valued producer is let go for political reasons that are not valid
• Once changes are made communicate with staff that the changes are over, this is your new team and you look forward to working with them
• Bond with members of the team as you move forward