Every football supporter knows who should “Manage” and who should “Captain” ‘their’ team.

With apologies to Martin Johnson: Very few ‘great players’ go on to make ‘great managers’. Just as most of the successful managers were not outstanding players. Supporters of Martin Johnson said that the Rugby Union should have recognised when appointing Martin to be England Manager, that he would need support as he had no previous management experience.

And yet in the business world the reason for selecting a manager is very often based upon length of service, possessing important technical skills or even just being a “good” team member.

In times when there is an increasing need for teams to deliver more, more effectively, more efficiently and more profitably the manager needs the skills to engage & lead the team to success.

Often in today’s economic climate and fast changing world, teams are subject to sudden and significant change – both in actual team members and in what the organisation asks of them.

Pressures are greater than ever for a team to work together decisively and effectively and to respond to changing needs and goals.

So you were not a great player but you want to be a great “Manager” – team building is in fact a great skill and relies upon developing strong management and leadership capabilities.  – there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to build your team, but here are some pointers to help you in the right direction.

• Everyone must share a common vision and be focused on a common goal.
• When building teams, every member must have clarity about his or her role and responsibilities in order to pull their weight.
• Ensure all team members want to participate in the team – recruit the right people

See our top ten tips for ‘Building a Top Team’

As organisations need to do more with less, strong leadership and team member engagement may be the only difference between surviving and thriving. Organisations need employees who can deliver as individuals and as members of a team, supporting customer service and in turn the profitability or efficiency of an organisation. The Jigsaw discovery Tool and and workshops can help to achieve this by improving:

• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Communication and relationships
• The management of change
• Corporate culture
• And enhancing the customer experience

Find out more about the Jigsaw Discovery Tool and our Jigsaw Development Programmes.