- Organizational Dynamics
Timing is Everything: The Importance of Finding the Right Moment in Leading Teams
Abstract
Great team leaders have superb timing. We explore in this article two different types of timing that leaders need to help their teams. First, they understand when teams are naturally open to help, and what kinds of help to give teams at predictable times in their work cycles. Second, they know how to influence their teams on the fly, sensing those unpredictable moments when a well-aimed intervention can help a team get onto a productive track.
Drawing on examples from our own and others' research on team leadership, we show how effective team leaders carry out the right prework before a team even exists, and how they take advantage of the special leadership opportunities at the beginnings, midpoints, and ends of team life cycles. We also identify the sometimes-subtle patterns of group interaction that signal the need for a real-time leadership intervention. We show how great team leaders interpret those signals and then act at the right moment—neither too soon nor too late—to help their teams overcome developing problems or exploit emerging opportunities.
Finally, we identify two special capabilities of team leaders with great timing: the ability to sense systems and the ability to balance between analysis and action. These characteristics help people develop into team leaders who exhibit great timing in helping their teams become ever more effective.