Setting the tone

Tone demands that leaders provide structure, clarify norms,

build cohesiveness, and promote standards of excellence.

When you set a tone,

you help group member perform at their highest level.

By providing structure you create a blueprint for work, communicate goals (give a sense of direction), provide synergy (that's when the group outcome is greater than the sum of the individual contributions) and identify how each member uniquely contributes to the whole.

Norms are the rules of behavior that are established and shared by group members.They also play a major role in the performance and effectiveness of groups. Norms tell us what is appropriate or not and are the outcome of people interacting with each other and with the leader.

When a leader builds cohesiveness they create a sense of "we-ness".

Cohesiveness is the cement that holds the group together.

Six factors to promoting standards of excellence:

1. What do group members need to know and what skill they need to acquire.
2. How much initiative and effort they need to demonstrate.
3. How group members are expected to treat one another.
4. The extent to which deadlines are significant.
5. What goals they need to achieve.
6. What the consequences are if they achieve or fail to achieve these goals.