Expectations  

Leadership in a non-team work environment is a top down structure where rules, not principles, govern followership.  In a team culture, leaders, guided by their principles of involvement, work to help team members find a level of confidence, trust, and cooperation so that they can achieve high levels of production.  Leaders then can’t rely exclusively on pressure, rules, and punishments to inspire a coordinated work team.  Rather they must become principled leaders who set performance expectations that allow the team to take responsibility for achieving success.  Below are five expectation guidelines to channel the relationship between the team leader and team members:

Expect team members to be contributors.  This means that the leader will have to nurture a team environment that builds the confidence and trust levels of team members. Team members must believe that they can express diverse opinions without reprisal; that they can make mistakes without feeling diminished; and that they will be valued for their achievements.

Expect team members to communicate with one another.  Team members must first learn that open communication is valued and then they must be given a forum for constructive communication.  They need to understand that they must take the responsibility to communicate to get things done, improve procedures, work out issues, and deal with changing conditions.

Expect team members to cooperate.  Leaders must help employees appreciate what a team is and what it can achieve when it works.  Team members need to realize that coordinated work is more productive than a string of individual actions.   Leaders should help team members generate working agreements amongst themselves.

Expect team members to problem solve.  Team members must learn that they are active players who focus on getting things done correctly and efficiently.  This means that leaders must help the team articulate issues; stay focused on the problem, not personalities; and find a common language to deal with change.

Expect team members to be learners.  Leaders need to create a work culture where team members share expertise, train new hires, cross train, and, ultimately, understand that continuous learning is an organizational value.