In the best teams, people are happy, motivated and productive. Businesses rely on great teamwork, so if you’ve been put in charge of a team, you need to know how to make it successful.
 
A team leader’s first task is to make sure every member knows what the group is trying to achieve and is genuinely on board. This is where a team charter comes in. It describes why the team exists, who’s responsible for what, how the team operates and how its members are expected to behave. Your roles and rules help you achieve your goals; the organization’s culture and values help people accept the rules and, where beneficial, remain flexible in terms of roles.

GOALS
These include the reason the team exists (often referred to as its mission) as well as more specific, short-term objectives. Having a set of clearly defined objectives creates a sense of purpose that helps motivate the team. It also helps team members understand and accept decisions made by the team leader, provided they relate to the team’s goals.
 
ROLES
To work efficiently and harmoniously, each team member needs to be clear on their own areas of responsibility and how they’re expected to work with the rest of the team. The team leader should take time to identity members’ strengths, weaknesses and strongest motivations (see Sections 2.1 to 2.4). They can use this understanding to establish roles that allow everyone to make a strong contribution and find their job rewarding. Team composition will influence how achievable this is. The ideal team consists of members whose skills cover what needs to be done, complementing one another neatly, with just enough overlap to accommodate absences.
 
RULES
These are the processes that all team members need to follow and behaviors that are deemed acceptable within the team. Rules typically cover how team members are expected to communicate with each other, make decisions, resolve conflicts and handle exceptional circumstances that might arise. New team members are required to confirm that they accept the rules when they join so that everyone feels empowered to flag any rule breaking, should it occur.
 
VALUES
Values are broader principles that team members are expected to uphold, which go beyond specific rules. Having a shared set of values helps unite a team and create a mutually supportive, rewarding working environment.
 
Team values might include the following expectations of team members:
- To strive to do the best job they can
- To contribute to the team achieving its goals
- To identify opportunities for the team to become more effective
- To work the hours required to perform their duties, and speak up when hours are becoming excessive
- To be open and honest, whilst being respectful of people’s feelings
- To be courteous and friendly to others
- To contribute to an inclusive environment in which everyone can express their thoughts and feelings
- To support fellow team members if they are under time or emotional pressure 

Team values can be used to guide the selection of new team members and be referred to if a current member isn’t contributing as they should.
 
When someone new joins the team, the leader should take time to explain the team charter and why it’s important. This is especially important for teams that work remotely, as it can help the new recruit to start feeling part of something that goes beyond transactional relationships and equips them to collaborate well with other team members.

See also 'Team Roles'.