Every successful team benefits from having a strong leader.

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Peter Hines
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2 Every successful team benefits from having a strong leader. On Etsy, we call this charismatic individual the team captain. As the director of a team, a captain must articulate a vision that inspires people to collaborate on a mission. This mission is best executed by an organization that is built upon a solid foundation of open communication and reinforced by a thoughtful delegation of tasks. The natural product of a team that is built from the recipe outlined in this handbook is a supportive, successful group of people that feels like family and can move mountains. 2

3 1. FORMULATE TEAM IDENTITY The first step is to build up your team s profile page and set the tone for the group. Believe it or not, a potential member has likely decided how they ll participate before they even click Apply to Team on your team page. Come up with a name that conveys some basic information on what your team is about. Upload a logo image that illustrates the team goals or speaks to a core message. Think carefully about your About this team and Who can join? sections. Are you warm, welcoming and professional? Are the guidelines intimidating? These sections act as the member handbook so make sure you re accurately representing the team s expectations and your personality as a leader. Make sure they align with the team goals while attracting the right applicants. Here are some questions to consider as you think about how to represent your team on Etsy: What has unified the team to form? Is it lifestyles, activities, locations, interests, or something out of this world? How would you describe your type of team? Professional? Casual? Fan club? Promotional? What principles are most important to your team? Are there any behaviors or identity elements that are required for all members? 3

4 2. COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY Installing clear and efficient communication structures from day one is invaluable. Be straightforward about these policies and team requirements. Here s how you can make that happen: Set up regular meetings or some sort of check-in structure. Use these opportunities to help people get to know one another. Sometimes we get lost in translation check out free resources such as chat rooms or video conferencing for meeting up face to face if meeting in person isn t possible. Encourage genuine connections between your members. An introduction thread in your discussion forum can break the ice and jump-start a dialogue, regardless of how long your team has been around. If members don t bond with one another or with the common goals of the team, they won t feel a need to return and participate. 4

5 Experiment with a variety of communication methods. Your team page has a fully functioning discussion board with lots of moderation tools that will allow you to highlight important posts and clean up others. You can also require members to sign up for the discussion digests, a daily summary of the active discussions in your team. You might find that it s best to set up an internal team newsletter to maintain a healthy level of communication. Have members sign up when they apply to the team to help keep the list up to date. Evaluate your communication from time to time. You could be overloading your members with too many communication channels. Creating clear ways to communicate and participate will keep everyone informed and interested. 3. SET CONCRETE GOALS As a team captain or leader, it is up to you to set goals for your team. Working within a group toward a common objective is something that unites people into collaborative action. Furthermore, having clear, manageable goals is paramount to attracting members that are a good fit for the team and are inspired by your shared vision. These goals can be defined the moment you start a team or evolve as the 2. How is your team communicating these goals to each member? Having well-articulated aims and clear directives will help all members feel part of the progress and know what is expected of them. 5

6 Where do you see your team in 1 year? How about in 5 years? If you have united members around a location, what next? Can the team rally around a common mission, project or cause? Be honest about limitations. If your team goal is unattainable, your team may lose interest. Think about the big picture vision, but try to make your action items as specific as possible. The more targeted your team goal is, the more dedicated the members will most likely be. For inspiration, feel free to browse through current teams on Etsy and get an idea of how other teams structure their missions. It s okay to have simple goals that fit your interest and activity level, and be prepared that they may change over time! Prominently stating your new goals will help you attract members that align with your mission. Try announcing goals in the following places: Team profile page on Etsy Blog Facebook page As an element of your application process for new members Within team signage, promos and outreach Don t be afraid of failure! You may not reach stated objectives, and that is completely understandable as long as you are honest and learn from the experience. If you fall short of a target you were aiming for, think about what needs to change in order to pave that path to success. Could you redefine the project or do you need access to some specific resources in order to make it happen? Share your team goals or read about what other teams goals are in this thread in our Captain s Quarter s Team for captains and leaders. 6

7 4. DELEGATE TASKS Once you have a good sense of what the team s goals are, it s time to start thinking about how organizational structure and task management can help you be successful. This structure should incorporate the regular housekeeping needs associated with running a team in addition to the actionable tasks into which you break down the team s overarching mission. By delegating these tasks you are empowering team members and enabling them to become a vital part of making the magic happen. In order to make a team work as an integrated whole, take inventory of the components (look at the skills members can provide in relation to the goal you aim to achieve) and divide tasks among willing participants. The key here is making the implicit process explicit by assigning roles, so as to avoid confusion and redundancy. Then the power of the team is not simply the sum of each person s individual skills and efforts, but the product, which is multiplied as more engaged members participate and contribute their personal means to the collective end. Below are some questions to ask yourself when trying to develop a streamlined administrative structure for your team: What sort of decision-making structure would work for this team? Does the team captain make all decisions? Is there a leadership group that makes decisions? Are all proposals voted on democratically by the team members? In which case, what constitutes a majority? What is the minimum number of team members that need to be present in order for a vote to take place? Setting these policies right off the bat will help avoid conflict and confusion later on. 7

8 What are the areas of team management that need a point person? Should you have someone in charge of new member orientation? How about social media management or blog content and publicity strategy? Do you need a dedicated person for events and in-person outreach? Does the team have assets that need to be managed, such as a shared studio space or bank account? Are there official relationships that need liaisons, such as with a local elected official or university? Who can be in charge of these resources? What are the team activities that need to be managed? Weekly team treasury challenge? Annual trunk show? Monthly team meeting? Do an inventory of all the aspects of team administration that you can assign to other people. Once you define these areas, create official positions for these members and appoint them as leaders on your team s profile page. It is integral to the success of the organization that day-to-day administrative tasks are farmed out to team members so that the captain is not too busy or ovewhelmed to keep delegating. It s important to note that being a team leader (much like being a captain) is a voluntary position, so make sure your volunteers don t feel overwhelmed. Articulate clearly the needs of each leadership position in the team so your volunteers know what they are getting themselves into. You may even want to sketch out the hours per week each position is likely to require from the team member to do effectively. Make sure you are transparent about the terms of leadership and determine whether they are ongoing, monthly, yearly, designated by committee, by appointment, by vote, etc. Pro Tip: In some cases to support the mission of the team, it may make sense to look into more legal structure for the team Incorporation, Limited Liability Corporations and even Non-Profit status. Check with your local government agency about what structure might benefit your team. 8

9 5. INSPIRE A SENSE OF PURPOSE The structure of a team is rooted in basic social dynamics. There are two analogies in particular can be invoked to illustrate this point team sports and family. The team spirit that naturally comes out of athletics, where a group of people are rallying together against an opposing team and toward a common goal, is a powerful and incredibly motivating force. Additionally, the kinship of family is a trusted support network that protects one another and shares resources. Replicating those dynamics in your team will produce enduring and productive bonds. Executing the team s mission is the captain s main priority. After all, the captain is at the helm of the ship. Because everyone is constantly looking to the captain for direction, he or she needs to take care to be free enough to have the bandwidth to make decisions as they arise. As the captain, one of the most important parts of your job is to maintain longevity of vision. You must remind the members where the team is headed and why they need to do their part to achieve overarching goals. Most importantly, team captains are responsible for making the world of Etsy Teams such a rich and vibrant place and their collective contribution of time, energy and expertise is invaluable to the entire Etsy community. We really appreciate all your time and hard work. Thank you for reading and for being an integral part of our family. 9

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11 RESOURCES Captains Quarters This team is a venue dedicated to people who run teams on Etsy, a place where everyone can network and ask questions. It s a rich resource for leadership advice and camaraderie. Oftentimes your fellow Etsy team leaders have relevant experience and the most useful answers when it comes to best practices. You can visit the team s page and apply to join here: etsy.me/captainsquarters Teams Fellowship Program Want some hands-on coaching for your team? Have a group project that you need help workshopping before it launches? Apply for a Teams Fellowship to get personalized support and tailored resources from Etsy staff and our experienced community. Applications for the program are accepted quarterly to allow a generous period (up to three months) of ongoing communication about each project. Once we review the applications, Etsy staff will help identify how to best support a team and project, if accepted. You can find answers to any Fellowship Program-related questions in this Help article: etsy.me/teamsfellowships Share Your Team Events Use this form to add your team activities to our Etsy community event calendar: etsy.me/teamseventlisting Help! I don t know where to begin. Not a member of an Etsy team and want to know more? Visit etsy.com/teams to explore the Etsy Teams community and join a team or create one of your own. Stay up to date with the Teams program and learn about ways to connect with like-minded Etsians by signing up to receive our newsletter. Teams on the Blog Read more about Etsy Teams on our blog by checking in on the dedicated content we publish in the following channels: etsy.me/featuredteams etsy.me/teamtips etsy.me/teamopportunities 11

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