Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Define the key characteristics of a high-performing team.
• Describe the four main stages of team development.
• Identify actions a leader can take to guide a team through each stage.

Purpose

As an entrepreneur, you cannot do everything alone. Your success depends on your ability to not just hire people, but to build a team. Understanding how teams form and grow allows you to lead them from a group of individuals into a powerful, cohesive unit that can overcome challenges and drive your clean cooking venture forward.

Key Touch Points

• Team building is a process: Teams don’t become great overnight. They go through predictable stages.
• Your leadership must adapt: The way you lead a new team should be different from how you lead a team that has worked together for months.

Conflict can be productive: The “storming” stage is normal. A good leader helps the team navigate disagreements to become stronger.