No one doubts the importance of team building in an organization, but the necessity to maintain the team and continually foster an environment where it can grow is sometimes overlooked.  Just like any engine in a car, in order for all the pieces to function perfectly and reliably, the integral parts must be serviced regularly.  Effective coaching for your team may mean the difference between significant long-term productivity and a slow decline into obsolesce.

Effective Communication
The most significant factor in any team is the ability to communicate skillfully.  As a leader it is extremely important for you to be honest in evaluating the team’s communication skill.  Every system naturally has a tendency to break down. This isn’t just my opinion; it is the way of all human interaction.  Without consistent lubrication and preventive maintenance to keep your people performing at their best, your team will digress into a meaningless machine.  The key is to think creatively when renewing team purpose and commitment.

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
Remember, no matter what kind of problem your team may be facing, chances are someone else that someone has already dealt with a similar issue and has a unique way to approach it.  Seek these people out with a passion; they will inspire both you and your team to excel.  Standing on the shoulders of others is a critical key to transformation and forward progress of your team.  You may be able to apply the previously developed method rather than the spending your valuable time on your own trial and error.

Check in Regularly
Good communication means just that – going the extra step to assure progress.  Checking in with your team members means more than making sure their productivity is staying high.  A teammate who is at the end of his rope when it comes to workload may seem productive; right up to the moment that he ‘breaks.’  When this happens, the personnel gap may cost you more money than if you had checked in frequently with the team member and discovered the issues before they became problems.

This post was contributed by Alisa Johnson, a guest writer, who writes about the top online business school. She welcomes your feedback at Alisa.Johnson1982 at gmail.com