Building Teams | Leadership | Friday Night Wiki

Creating, developing, and maintaining high-performing teams.

What Makes a Team

A group becomes a team when:

Shared purpose and goals
Interdependence (need each other)
Mutual accountability
Complementary skills
Collective identity

Team Formation Stages

Tuckman's Model

Stage	Characteristics	Leader's Role
Forming	Polite, uncertain, dependent	Provide structure, clarity
Storming	Conflict, competition, challenging	Facilitate resolution, stay patient
Norming	Cohesion, cooperation, norms emerge	Reinforce positive dynamics
Performing	High productivity, autonomy	Support, remove obstacles
Adjourning	Disbanding, transition	Celebrate, help transition

Accelerating Through Stages

Action	Impact
Clear purpose and goals	Reduces forming uncertainty
Explicit norms	Speeds past storming
Intentional relationship building	Builds trust faster
Early wins	Creates momentum
Address conflict directly	Don't let storming fester

Hiring for Your Team

What to Hire For

Priority	Why
Character/values	Can't be taught
Cultural fit	Affects team dynamics
Capability	Can they do the job?
Potential	Can they grow?
Specific skills	Can be developed

Interview Best Practices

Technique	Purpose
Behavioral questions	Past behavior predicts future
Work samples	See actual performance
Multiple interviewers	Reduce individual bias
Structured process	Fair comparison
Reference checks	Verify claims

Question format: "Tell me about a time when you [specific situation]. What did you do? What was the result?"

Red Flags in Hiring

Blames others for failures
Can't give specific examples
Values misalignment
Excessive job hopping without growth
Lack of self-awareness
Poor references from former managers

Team Dynamics

High-Performing Team Characteristics

Characteristic	What It Looks Like
Clear purpose	Everyone knows why we exist
Defined roles	Clarity on who does what
Trust	Psychological safety to speak up
Healthy conflict	Debate ideas, not people
Commitment	Aligned on decisions
Accountability	Hold each other responsible
Results focus	Collective outcomes matter

The Trust Foundation

Building trust:

Be vulnerable first (model it)
Admit mistakes openly
Ask for help
Acknowledge others' strengths
Keep commitments
Assume positive intent

Trust accelerators:

Shared experiences
Personal connections
Working through conflict successfully
Celebrating wins together

Constructive Conflict

Healthy Conflict	Unhealthy Conflict
About ideas	About people
Direct and respectful	Passive-aggressive
Leads to better decisions	Creates division
Everyone contributes	Some dominate
Resolved	Festering

Leader's role: Model healthy disagreement, ensure all voices heard, drive to resolution.

Team Norms and Culture

Establishing Norms

Define expectations for:

How we communicate
How we make decisions
How we handle disagreement
How we give feedback
How we hold each other accountable
How we celebrate

Norms Worth Considering

Area	Example Norm
Meetings	Start on time, phones away, decisions documented
Communication	Respond within 24 hours, use Slack for quick questions
Decisions	Disagree and commit, silence is agreement
Feedback	Direct and timely, in person when possible
Accountability	Flag problems early, own mistakes

Reinforcing Culture

Action	Impact
Model the behavior	Most powerful influence
Recognize alignment	Positive reinforcement
Address violations	Shows norms matter
Tell stories	Illustrate values in action
Hire for fit	Maintain culture

Developing Team Members

The Development Mindset

Fixed Mindset	Growth Mindset
"This is who they are"	"They can develop"
Limited investment	Intentional development
Same assignments	Stretch opportunities
Focus on weaknesses	Build on strengths

Development Approaches

Method	Use For
Stretch assignments	New skills, growth
Coaching	Performance improvement
Mentoring	Career guidance
Training	Specific skills
Feedback	Self-awareness
Exposure	Visibility, relationships

Individual Development Plans

Element	Question
Current state	Where are they now?
Target state	Where do they want to go?
Gaps	What's needed to get there?
Actions	What will develop them?
Timeline	By when?
Support	What do they need from you?

Difficult Team Situations

Underperformers

Step	Action
Diagnose	What's the real issue? Skill? Will? Fit?
Clear expectations	Are they clear on what's needed?
Specific feedback	What specifically needs to change?
Support and resources	What help do they need?
Set timeline	By when do you need to see improvement?
Follow through	Address if no improvement

Toxic Team Members

Even high performers can be toxic if they:

Undermine others
Create drama
Resist collaboration
Violate values
Damage morale

Cost of keeping toxic high performers exceeds their contribution.

Team Conflict

Type	Approach
Task conflict	Facilitate resolution, focus on best solution
Process conflict	Clarify roles and procedures
Relationship conflict	Address directly, mediate if needed

Remote and Hybrid Teams

Additional Challenges

Challenge	Solution
Less casual connection	Intentional relationship time
Communication gaps	Over-communicate
Trust building	Video on, more one-on-ones
Coordination	Clear systems and tools
Isolation	Regular check-ins

Making Remote Work

Practice	Purpose
Regular video meetings	Face-to-face connection
Async communication norms	Reduce meeting load
Virtual social time	Build relationships
Clear documentation	Reduce miscommunication
In-person gatherings	Deepen connections

Team Rituals

Rituals That Build Teams

Ritual	Frequency	Purpose
Stand-up/check-in	Daily	Coordination, visibility
Team meeting	Weekly	Alignment, problem-solving
One-on-ones	Weekly	Individual support
Retrospective	Monthly	Continuous improvement
Planning	Quarterly	Strategic alignment
Celebration	As needed	Recognition, morale

Key Takeaways

Hire for character and fit - Skills can be taught
Trust is the foundation - Build it intentionally
Healthy conflict improves decisions - Don't avoid it
Norms shape behavior - Be explicit about expectations
Develop your people - It's your job
Address problems quickly - They don't resolve themselves
Invest in team dynamics - Individual talent isn't enough