at Phillips Academy-Andover , understanding his team ’ s “ strong suits ” is critical to assembling a winning , productive team .
“ It ’ s imperative that you place folks in positions that play to their respective strengths , and that you don ’ t put them at ‘ risk ’ by placing them in roles where they may struggle ,” he says . “ By observing them over time , and in a variety of different circumstances , you get to see them in action . Perceptive observation will allow you to see what raises the excitement level and what , in fact , might bore them . You can see where they might be able to stretch their abilities and , perhaps , increase their own level of knowledge , collaborative skills and even management skills over time .”
In addition , Veneto stresses the importance of understanding not just an individual ’ s strengths but how those strengths balance against the strengths of his team .
“ I believe fully in the power associated with teams in the workplace ,” he explains . “ It ’ s great to have individual responsibilities and goals and objectives , but we really never work alone . As a part of our most recent realignment of staff positions , I spent more time creating work teams than I did defining individual roles .”
Building Your Team Around Strengths
Almost five years ago , Veneto sensed that a new working team should form in the Academy , with a goal of evaluating the school ’ s legacy administrative systems to bring sustainable change to this prestigious educational institution . Veneto assembled 25 professionals across the Academy ’ s departments to talk about information management and the existing system , Datatel .
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