7 tips to build a team you can rely on and trust

What’s worst than winning a juicy piece of work? Realising you don’t have a team of people who you can reliably delegate down to and trust that they will deliver to the required standard in the time you have been allocated… So, what can you do to build that around you?

I’m Heather Townsend, author of Poised for Partnership and co-author of How to Make Partner & Still Have a Life. I’m the leading global expert in what it takes to move from senior fee earner to partner . Here are 5 ways to work with me.

Here are seven tips to build a team you can rely on which you can start implementing straight away

1. Treat your team as if they are your client, not the other way around

I don’t know about you, but there have been times when the team leader really doesn’t seem to care two hoots about you. They turn up late to meetings, interrupt other people when they are talking and frankly don’t make themselves very popular. Of course, there are times when you need to put some distance between you and your team. However, ultimately having a group of people that you can rely on and trust comes down to the quality of the relationships you have built. If you treat your team as if they are your client, rather than the other way around then you will go quite some way to creating a strong group around you.

2. Don’t dodge the difficult conversations with your team

Your role is to deliver a piece of work to your client at UNDER the budget you have quoted to them. If your team member mucks up so rework is required or WIP needs to be written off, then you have a responsibility to have that conversation with them. They need to understand the impact of their actions and put in place steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Of course, this sort of conversation needs to happen in private and in a way that is supportive. If you dodge this conversation, then your team members won’t realise what level of performance is required from them in future.

3. Delegate the appropriate level of responsibility but not accountability

At the end of the day, the buck stops with you. If your team doesn’t perform, it will be you having the conversations with partners and the client. However, you need to make sure that you delegate the appropriate level of responsibility. If someone is new and untested then you will need to make sure they check-in with you more than an experienced team member. You need to judge the amount of support each team member will need from you and the team to achieve their task list. Get each person to update you daily (or weekly) on the progress they are making with the tasks you have allocated them.

4. Spend time 1:2:1 with each team member

This may not always be possible to do when you are a rapidly formed team with a short-term brief. However, you get the most out of people when you give them the gift of your time. In an environment where everyone is watching the clock and recording where their time is spent, people really relish an opportunity to spend time with more senior members of the team. When you are having this 1:2:1 (and make sure it is a recurring event)  find out more about them, i.e. what makes them tick, what they want to achieve in this role, what they like doing outside of work, what you can do to help them advance their career, how they are right now?

If you think you’re ready to make partner, find out your “partner-ready” score when you take my Partnership Readiness Assessment.
 

5. Provide direction and a framework to work towards

All of your team members will operate and work differently. However, your role as a team leader is to be explicit about what you want and need from them, and by when. If you can, allow them the freedom to choose the ‘how’ they get things done (although of course, specific parameters still need to be met).

6. Show your human side

Like you, I’ve worked for many people in my career. For the ones that I have respected the most, I have worked the hardest. So, what has gained my respect? It’s not the professional accolades they have amassed – but whether I can relate to them as a person. Your team needs to feel an emotional connection to you. Be real with them – if you are having a bad day, let them know. If you are having a good day, also let them know. There is nothing worse than a team sensing you are in a bad mood and wondering who or what caused it!

7. Communicate, communicate, communicate

Good communication underpins every great team. Make sure you have regular updates scheduled in your diary with the team. These don’t need to last long; a 5-minute daily team catch up via a conference call can often work better than a 2 hours drawn-out affair. (Particularly if your team members reside in different locations) Have a standard team agenda and stick to it.

8. Learn to Delegate Like a Pro

Work through my Progress to Partner Academy Course How to Delegate Like a Pro to learn the skills and get the confidence to delegate your work to others, so you can focus your precious time on the things can will move your career forward. Find out more here How to Delegate Like a Pro OR get started now and buy the course here!

READ MORE ABOUT ON HOW TO MAKE PARTNER IN YOUR FIRM: 

Why the most brilliant people in the room don’t always make partner

Are you acting, thinking and feeling like a partner yet?

 

I’m Heather Townsend, author of Poised for Partnership and co-author of How to Make Partner & Still Have a Life. I’m the leading global expert in what it takes to move from senior fee earner to partner . Here are 5 ways to work with me.