A shared vision
As BusinessMatters Magazine states, one of the most essential conditions for team success is a passion for a shared vision. It is the manager's job to present this shared vision, a kind of Holy Grail, to the team.
Clearly defined roles
For a team to work effectively, it must have clearly defined rules and also clearly defined roles for its members. This does not mean employees cannot delegate work or be partly responsible for the agenda of other team members. But it must be clear where their responsibilities begin and end.
An action plan to achieve common goals
A vision alone is not enough: it is even more important to set up an action plan, in other words a kind of path, consisting of specific sub-steps, by which the team gradually works its way from its current position to this vision.
Tolerating mistakes
A team can never develop effectively or be flexible enough unless there is some tolerance for non-fatal mistakes. The manager needs to give workers the space to try new things, which carries with it the risk of some missteps and dead ends.
A manager who does not kill the potential of individual workers
A team is ultimately only as good as its weakest link. A manager should therefore never focus only on the productivity of the group as a whole, but also on the development of individual talent. This is the only way to build a truly stellar team.
Effectively linking the team to other structures in the company
No team works in isolation. The best team in terms of internal performance may ultimately not be so successful if its interaction with others (clients, suppliers, and, most importantly, other teams in the company) is not efficient.
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