some   initial   rebellion   or   challenging.   Squabbling between  members  may  occur.  Expect  this  stage  and prepare to meet the challenge. l  Norming.  During  this  stage,  the  group  settles down into a routine. The group establishes roles and accepts behavioral limits. l  Performing.  This  stage  is  the  goal  of  team building. The group can now operate efficiently as a team and we can “take care of business.” l  Mourning. After a team has been successful for a time, a mourning stage may set in. This phenomena is one to watch out for. Attitudes may start to decline. Members  may  wish  for  the  way  it  used  to  be  and become discontented. You need to recognize the onset of  the  mourning  stage  and  immediately  implement motivational techniques to bring your team back to the performing  stage. Ingredients for a Successful Team Successful team building does not just happen. The supervisor must be responsible for bringing the right ingredients together to attract the membership. The right ingredients are listed in the following paragraphs. CLEAR TEAM GOALS.– All members of the team must understand exactly what goals the team is striving to meet. In recruiting, we have established goals from the district. The team must also have its own goals. These  may  include  competition,  training  qualifications, advancements, attaining NRD goals so many months in a row, or any other mutually agreed upon goal. IMPROVEMENT PLAN.–  Every team needs a plan for improvement. These may be formal plans of action and milestones  (POA&Ms)  or  informal  team commitments;  for  example,  our  team  will  strive  to increase market identification by 4 percent each month. Whatever format the plan takes, all members of the team must understand their role in its accomplishment. WELL-DEFINED ROLES.–  Every member of the team should understand exactly what role they are filling in the scheme of recruiting. In addition, they should understand each other’s roles and how they interrelate. Your role as supervisor must be especially well defined. It is easy to let military protocol relax in the recruiting environment. Be careful not to let your role diminish in office  camaraderie. CLEAR COMMUNICATION.–  The  most  important ingredient  of  all  is  clear  communication.  Keep  all channels open. Not only do you want to convey clear, concise messages to your team, you also want to keep the door open for communication and feedback. We will discuss communication skills in more detail later in this chapter. HELPFUL  TEAM  BEHAVIORS.–  Earlier  we discussed  the  team’s  conforming  to  accepted  behaviors in the norming stage. You may need to remind team members of acceptable behaviors from time to time. Some behavioral practices that will help your team run smoothly  include  using  courteous  conversation  practices, seeking  opinions  and  input,  sharing  responsibility, compromising   in   resolving   differences,   employing creativity and candidness, and accepting and delivering praise  and  critiques.  These  behaviors  may  be  most noticeable in a meeting environment, but you should monitor them in all team interactions. WELL-DEFINED DECISION PROCEDURES.– Be up front about decisions. Let members know what decisions they are supposed to make and what decisions should  be  forwarded  to  you.  Have  an  established  method of  resolving  differences.  Let  the  team  know  in  advance what is negotiable and what is not. BALANCED PARTICIPATION.–  You may find balanced  participation difficult  in  the  recruiting environment when some recruiters will always write more contracts than others. Participation is not limited to production. Make sure all team members participate in activities that will benefit the whole team. Encourage all members to participate by providing training and input at meetings and during discussions. ESTABLISHED   GROUND   RULES.–   It  is extremely important when taking over a new station or zone that you set up ground rules as soon as possible. Let  the  team  know  what  you  expect  in  the  way  of performance and behavior. Everyone should understand the rules and the consequences. AWARENESS OF THE GROUP PROCESS.– All members need to be aware of what is going on in the team.  Keep  the  communication  flowing.  Pass  on successful  ideas  and  tactics.  Let  all  team  members  know about the new triumphs within the team. That first Gold Wreath  award,  RQS  qualification,  or  Station  of  the Month award are all examples of recognition to share with the team. 1-7