Some people do fine work by demonstrating some of the qualities described by Meredith Belbin in his work on great teams. They may have strengths as campaigners, coordinators or completer-finishers.
Great teams are often made up of people who combine these qualities to do fine work. Some individuals may, of course, be good at all three aspects. Let’s explore these themes.
Campaigners
Campaigners are often good at communicating a compelling vision. They communicate this in a way that resonates with a certain target group of people. They also show the benefits of achieving a particular goal.
Such people can do this in a positive or negative way. Those who do it in a positive way often demonstrate the following characteristics. They may be good at being able:
To communicate the benefits of a certain philosophy or picture of success;
To communicate the benefits of a certain service or product;
To communicate the benefits of people pursuing a certain paradigm.
Campaigners may be good at bringing the ideas to life by moving from the concepts to giving concrete examples. They may also describe the practical strategies that people can follow to reach the goals.
Such people sometimes recognise the potential pluses and minuses of their approach. These include the following.
The Potential Pluses
They may be good at conveying enthusiasm, communicating an inspiring vision and showing the possible ways forward. They may also good at showing the strategies that people can follow to achieve success.
The Potential Minuses
They may need to focus on a specific target audience rather than reach all kinds of people. They may be good at outlining the strategies to pursue but get bored with the daily implementation of these strategies.
Campaigners can provide inspiration but they may need other people to help them with the implementation. This highlights the next group of people in great teams.
Coordinators
Great teams often have superb coordinators. Such people often act as mission holders who take responsibility for translating the strategies into action and delivering positive results.
Coordinators keep focusing on the results to achieve. They make clear contracts with the key stakeholders about the goals to achieve. They are then good at being able:
To communicate the goals to people and make clear contracts with them about their contributions towards achieving the goals;
To coordinate people’s strengths to do superb work, find solutions to challenges and achieve the goals;
To manage by outcomes, focus on continuous improvement and do what is required to achieve the goals.
Coordinators focus on the outcomes to achieve and have good people skills. They then encourage and enable people to apply their strengths to deliver the picture of success.
Such people sometimes recognise the potential pluses and minuses of their approach. These include the following.
The Potential Pluses
They are dedicated, have high professional standards and do superb work. They are good at making clear contracts about the outcomes to achieve, providing support and enabling people to deliver the goods.
The Potential Minuses
They may need to learn how to manage by outcomes rather than by tasks and be given the required practical support. They need to take care of their health because they may take on more than they can manage.
Coordinators often channel the efforts of individual contributors towards achieving the goals. This highlights the next group of people in great teams.
Completer-Finishers
Completer-Finishers are often good at finishing things in specific activities but not necessarily in others. It is therefore important to understand their strengths and where they can be relied on to deliver the goods.
Such people may be individual contributors who specialise in certain activities. They have deep knowledge in their chosen area and take a pride in their work.
They often perform best when they can understand the big picture and how their work contributes to achieving the goals. Providing they are given support to do the job, they are then more able:
To play to their strengths and do superb work on the way towards achieving the goals;
To proactively keep their key stakeholders informed about their progress towards achieving the goals;
To produce the desired positive results and make their best contributions towards achieving the team’s picture of success.
Such people are often loyal to certain values in their work. They may sometimes recognise the potential pluses and minuses of their approach. These include the following.
The Potential Pluses
They are specialists who have great knowledge and can produce high quality work. They often have their individual way of thinking and operating that, if channelled in a positive way, can enrich the team.
The Potential Minuses
They may follow their own path in ways that create challenges for other people. They may then need to refocus their efforts towards delivering the agreed outcomes and helping the team to achieve success.
Coordinators create an encouraging environment in which completer-finishers can perform superb work. They also expect such people to have a positive attitude, be professional and do their best to achieve the picture of success.
Great teams get the right blend of campaigners, coordinators and completer-finishers. They then focus on providing inspiration, doing the implementation and achieving the desired impact.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Looking ahead, can you think of a specific situation where you may want to follow elements of this approach? How can you do this in your own way?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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