Teams need to focus on, and sometimes re-focus on, their audience and purpose. Successful teams struggle through peaks and valleys. Teams are not simply groups. True teams are made up of colleagues dedicated to working together on issues no one person can tackle individually. At Extension Annual Conference, Taggart E. Smith, from the Department of Organizational Leadership, shared some observations and tips on assertiveness.
Assertive people get more done in less time, are more creative and more honest.
They take responsibility and get along better with coworkers. Different people offer different definitions. Smith likes to define the word in terms of action. In his session at Annual Conference, Organizational Leadership's Rodney Vandeveer explained that, in an effective team, leadership is a dynamic, fluid process in which different members of the team take the lead at different times. Thus, everyone leads at times and follows at others.