Developing a team

Today I had the opportunity to meet with 10 energized members of the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce to talk about marketing.  What is the secret for forming a productive team?  I would say the following:

• Enthusiasm for the team objective
• A prepared meeting plan with some thoughts to drive discussion
• A watch - keep meetings under an hour and move things forward quickly
• Actively listen to group participants - they need to feel involved
• Form triads - three way groups to achieve specific tasks within the scope of work of the group
• Share authority with team members - have them select the direction of the team
• Facilitate so that the team stays on track

The objective in my consulting business is to "help innovators transform their ideas into strategic documents." I find that working with entrepreneurs in teams - their staff, their partners or even their investors to come up with more ideas and more effective execution of those ideas is the best and most effective use of team meetings.

I would encourage you to take a look at your business and your customers - there are resources that could form a team to help you.