Seven Principles of Effective Team Building in Education

1. Establish a clear vision accompanied by strong values

Spend time with your team discussing your mission, your vision and your reason for being. When your ‘reason for being’ is articulated and shared, and this sense of purpose is mirrored in the values espoused by team members, people experience greater intention in their actions. This serves to provide an anchor during times of challenge. A clear sense of vision allows your team to view future actions through the lens of the team’s vision and mission, driving alignment and cohesiveness. Be prepared to take the time to revisit these values and your vision regularly and be open to suggestions from your team for tweaks and changes as time goes on. This is a healthy sign of growth and development – and a reflection of a healthy working environment.

2. Prioritise knowing your staff as individuals, learning about how their strengths can contribute to a greater whole

How well do you really know the individuals in your team? As a leader, have you prioritised learning about the background, interests, experiences and driving forces for those working with you? Building opportunities to take an authentic interest in each member of your team can yield enormous benefits; not only as a consequence of the heightened motivation an employee feels when they are ‘seen’, but also in terms of your improved sense of how best to use individual strengths and interests for the betterment of the team as a whole. It is equally as valuable for your team members to ‘see’ you as a whole person and not just a role or title.

3. Create a culture that is open to feedback and different perspectives

It can sometimes be challenging and confronting to receive feedback from members of your team. As a leader, your first instinct may lean towards a resistance to feedback and to a minimisation of opportunities for staff to provide this feedback. New leaders, in particular, may worry that any negative feedback is a reflection of the success of their leadership. The reality is that normalising feedback, and the constructive delivery of it, is essential for the success of any team. The strength of a leader lies in their capacity for openness to feedback and their modelling of the receiving of it with discernment and appreciation. Creating regular opportunities for open evaluation of practices allows your team members to feel an authentic sense of agency.

4. Be a role model for energetic, enthusiastic and joyous interactions

We all know that energy is infectious. As a leader, the energy you bring to your role has a significant effect on the climate of a working environment and on the well-being of your team as a whole. At Be Challenged, one of our core values is to ‘be playful’. We deliberately prioritise this value because we recognise that playfulness drives joy and happiness in the workplace, with the delightful by-product of increased creativity and team synergy. When they are given the freedom to think differently for a short period of time, people can reboot and reset their thinking.

5. Be prepared to delegate and to recognise the capacity for growth of the members of your team

Experienced leaders know the challenges, as well as the benefits, of learning the skill of delegation. Delegating effectively can be one of the most challenging skills to learn, but the benefits to a leader and to an organisation are significant. Just as teachers are aware of the benefits of challenging their students to move to new levels of understanding and performance, so too it is our responsibility to allow our team members to be challenged and to demonstrate their capabilities. Consider whether your fears are resulting in the controlling of too many elements in your workplace. Is there the chance that this feels stifling for those who work alongside you?

6. Take time out to prioritise the celebration of ‘wins’

As educators, you are aware of the significance of celebrating a range of ‘wins’ for your students. The impact on their sense of self-efficacy and their motivation cannot be underestimated. In our society, we have ritualised this acknowledgement of our students in many ways, from merit awards to Speech Nights. Sadly, as leaders, we can forget the impact and significance of pausing to recognise successes within our teams. The relentlessness of work, and the perpetual challenges it throws at us, can seem overwhelming unless this cycle is punctuated by acknowledgements of your staff and their achievement of deadlines, the culmination of projects or their embodiment of values. You might like to consider scheduling the sending of an email each Friday afternoon, acknowledging a commendable action from a member of your team each week?

7. Prioritise professional learning as a team

The requirements for professional development in Education are significant. In addition to regular professional learning around Child Protection and Safeguarding, First Aid and CPR, educators are keen to learn about pedagogical theories which may significantly impact upon their educational outcomes in the classroom. While this Professional Learning is valuable and vital, it is important to consider the fracturing impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on team dynamics in schools. Focus on team dynamics which build cohesiveness and foster the well-being of staff is therefore equally important as a means of building capacity and synergy moving forward.

If you are interested to learn more about how Be Challenged can partner with you in the delivery of programs to enable effective team building in your school, please contact Lisa at lisa@bechallenged.com.au

Thanks for reading

Lisa Kelliher

GM People & Culture, Be Challenged

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