8 Skills You Need for Effective Team Building

February 26, 2021

By: Indeed Editorial Team

Effective team-building is essential in virtually every organization, regardless of the industry. By understanding what team-building skills are and developing them in yourself, you can become a better employee and increase the chances of being recognized for a new role or promotion. In this article, we explore what team-building skills are, explain why they're important, provide a list of skills you need for effective team-building and describe some tips for improving them.

Create your resume

What are team-building skills and why are they important?

Team-building skills enable you to help individual employees invest and work in a cohesive group that shares both a purpose and achievements. In an effective team, every member feels that their input is valued and that they have influence when creating goals and developing plans for accomplishing them. After deciding on the objectives of the group and the steps it should take to achieve them, a team is then able to collaborate so that it can reach its goals.

The importance of team-building skills extends beyond industries, making it a highly sought after skill in every organization. That's because these skills create departments and companies that are more productive and efficient. Though team-building skills are an asset in every position, employers especially look for them in individuals that oversee groups of employees, such as consultants, supervisors and managers. Here are some examples of team-building skills and suggestions for improving them:

1. Delegation

Team builders understand that they need the expertise and help of others to accomplish certain tasks and goals. Delegation makes projects more efficient, ensuring that the team can accomplish its goals in a timely manner. In order to be a great team builder, you have to be able to assign each team member with their individual responsibilities in a way that is clear and concise. If you want to become a great delegator, you need to:

Assign roles that align with a person's interests or areas of expertise.
Create goals that are clear and achievable.
Set schedules that include milestones and deadlines.
Communicate expectations to team members.
Provide the team with honest but constructive feedback.

2. Motivation

When team members are excited about and invested in a project, they are typically more engaged with the process. In turn, this encourages them to improve the quantity and quality of their production, which is why it's such an important aspect of team building. Motivation can come in many forms based on your personality and personal preferences, but some great ways to motivate your fellow team members is by:

Having a positive attitude
Supplying teammates with positive feedback
Providing incentives for excellent work

3. Teamwork

Part of being a great team builder is being an excellent team member. You should demonstrate the attributes and attitudes that you hope to find in every team member, such as cooperation, proactivity, reliability and flexibility. You can improve your own teamwork skills by:

Being aware of how your actions or words influence the team
Taking responsibility for your role
Ensuring that you're open and receptive to feedback from others

4. Leadership

As a team builder, you often have to take on a leadership role within the group, which means that you establish the team's goals, counsel members that are having difficulties and make decisions when issues arise. To become a great leader and, therefore, an excellent team builder, you need to develop a variety of soft skills, such as:

Time management
Communication
Decision-making
Creative thinking

5. Problem solving

Solving problems is often a key aspect of team building. A variety of issues can arise throughout a project, including interpersonal conflicts and problems related to the team's goals. As a team builder, you should be able to address both types of issues in a way that enables the group to continue to work well together and accomplish its objectives. To become great at problem-solving, you need to be able to:

Recognize potential issues before they evolve into bigger ones.
Analyze problems in their entirety.
Develop creative solutions.
Mediate conflicts by listening and reaching a consensus.
Remain easily adaptable, regardless of the roadblocks.

6. Communication

When uniting a team, possessing strong communication skills is essential because these skills allow you to express important concepts in a way that is clear and concise so that everyone can understand. For example, you need to be able to use both your verbal and written communication skills to resolve conflicts, delegate responsibilities and establish team goals. To be an effective communicator, you have to be as specific and clear as possible when communicating, but more importantly, you need to be an excellent listener.

Active listening refers to the ability to focus on the speaker, pay attention to their nonverbal cues and respond appropriately. To improve your communication skills, you can:

Try to be as clear and concise as possible when communicating.
Remain calm in the face of conflicts.
Manage your body language to ensure that it is saying what you intend.
Pay attention to the nonverbal cues of others.

7. Reliability

When building a team, the members need to be able to trust that you are there to guide them. When others have faith in you, they are more likely to reciprocate this level of respect and reliability. To develop your reliability, you need to:

Take ownership of your tasks and responsibilities.
Provide assistance when others need it.
Participate in the group consistently.
Perform tasks when and how they should be done.

8. Empathy

Empathy is important because it allows you to understand the feelings and motives of your fellow team members. By taking the time to understand others, you can gain insight into their needs and struggles, allowing you to work and communicate with them more effectively. You can develop your ability to empathize by: