Here's how you can foster effective communication and coordination among team members.

During a particularly challenging project, our team faced numerous obstacles that derailed our progress. It was during these times that I learned the value of fostering a collaborative team environment. We encouraged open communication, allowing team members across all levels to voice their concerns and share ideas for overcoming obstacles. This collaborative spirit helped strengthen our team bonding and morale. By facing challenges together, we nurtured a resilient team capable of tackling all kinds of challenges with confidence.

The two most important pieces of information that your team is going to need is to understand the WHY and how success will be measured. To a large degree, your goals & KPIs are going to represent the WHY, but make sure that you compliment that with speaking to your team (plus individually) about why your team is important to the success of the organization. The second piece is to make sure that everyone understands how success is going to be measured both at the team level as well as the individual. This will create a clear picture in every person's mind on what they need to do as an individual as well as what are the deliverables of the team.

One of the most effective ways that we have developed as a team is to make all the areas involved in the entire process part of a project, thus providing different points of view, which allows us to anticipate possible inconveniences and barriers. In our case, it is involved in the sale of a service, the areas of implementation, operations and post-sales. Which generates efficient communication in each of the stages until the delivery of that service.

The healthiest way to approach any conversation is to understand what you need from it. Whether you communicate with teams or individuals, you need to stay aware of what you hope to achieve with the conversation. Do you want to learn, teach, laugh, repair, divert, celebrate, or something else? Recognizing what each person needs from an interaction is a skill. Understanding how to help them meet their need is a superpower.

Ziele klar zu formulieren ist die Basis, um alle Teammitglieder darauf einzuschwören. Es setzt voraus, dass alle die Ziele und ihren Nutzen verstanden haben und damit einverstanden sind. Besser hier etwas mehr Aufwand zu investieren als später über Missverständnisse zu diskutieren

La creación de un espacio abierto, de confianza y de respeto, genera un dialogo responsable entre los miembros de un equipo. Muchas veces expresar puntos de vista que a primera vista pueden ser negativos, es una oportundiad de subsanar alguna visión sesgada, influenciada por distintas variables ambientales como desmotivación, falta de desarrollo personal, carga de trabajo no adecuada, entre otras.

I have found that role clarity is often one of the common causes of conflict. Setting expectations clearly is so important and cannot be underestimated. When people know what is required then you can help them be more accountable for it. Then communication is much more focused on performance and effectiveness instead of blame or justification. Good leaders also get out of the way and let people do the job they've been asked to do insted of stepping in to show how much they know. Growing a high performing team requires everyone to know and do their job and be accountable for it. If they need help, then they know where to go to get it because roles are clear and communication lines are open and working properly.

I love the 5 L’s for the purpose of sharing feedback. Asking each team member to reflect on the past 30-60 days, and answer these questions is powerful. Love - what did you do that you loved? Long to do - what do you wish you could have done that you enjoy? Loathe - what caused you pain or drained your energy? Learn - what was an “aha” moment for you? Laugh - what did you mess up that you can only laugh about? These stories connect emotions and let team members find human pathways to problems and solutions as a team.

And the last two decades that I've been managing teams, the two key tools that I use to provide feedback are weekly 1:1 meetings and team meetings. For the 1:1 meetings, I make sure that we cover the deliverables as well as the obstacles that the person is experiencing. The environment is very safe and the conversation can be very open. For the group meetings, that typically happens with less frequency, I make sure that I create the trust and open communication across the team members so that the individuals feel comfortable sharing how they're progressing against deliverables and asking for help.

Regular feedback allows for learning from successes and mistakes, and adjusting strategies accordingly. Use one-on-one check-ins, group debriefs, or anonymous surveys to ensure everyone can provide and receive constructive feedback. This process creates an environment of ongoing improvement and collaboration.

One thing I have found helpful is the use of technology to build an environment of open communication and trust within the team. Technology that allows all team members to be on the same page, that prevents an information deficit - meaning some team members know something quicker or more - within the team. Tools like Microsoft 365 or Slack allow a team to work a synchronous and at the same time together. When governed by some clear rules and structure it becomes the go to place for the team and fosters through it’s mechanics inclusivity and candid feedback. The technology allows all the contribute whilst being transparent and providing a workspace and learning environment at the same time.

One component that is essential in building trust is a non-judgemental environment. In such an environment, creativity, innovation, engagement and commitment. A non-judgemental team starts with you being non-judgemental. For that, 1. Be empathetic: This can take you long to understand the why behind people’s actions 2. Differentiate between people and their actions: A wrong action/choice doesn’t make a person wrong 3. Diversity is an asset not a liability: respect the diverse backgrounds as well as diverse views of the people in the team 4. Personality is not permanent: Do not forget that people are continuously evolving and hence your judgements might not hold all the time

Trust is indeed the cornerstone of successful teamwork. When team members trust each other, they feel more comfortable sharing ideas, providing feedback, and working together towards common goals. This level of trust fosters a positive and supportive team dynamic, where individuals feel valued and respected. It ultimately leads to improved communication, increased productivity, and overall success for the team. Investing time and effort in building trust among team members is crucial for long-term success and cohesion within the team.

Embrace Simplicity! Focus on clear, concise messaging and avoiding unnecessary complexity. This reduces misunderstandings, speeds up decision-making, and ensures everyone is aligned. Ultimately, it fosters a more collaborative and productive environment where every interaction is purposeful and goal-oriented.