Send to friendDeveloping a high performance team is all about building and managing relationships. One of the most overlooked relationship in that context is the relationship between the team leader, the team member and the team member's family. While it is admittedly difficult to walk the fine line between taking an appropriate interest in your team members' family life and putting your nose where it doesn't really belong, your ability to effectively walk that line can go a long way towards building your high performance team.

There are a number of simple ways to demonstrate that you value the importance of your team members' families. Among them are these:

• Be aware of the basics - names of spouses and children, ages and activities of children, etc.
• Send cards on appropriate occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, etc)
• Let the spouse know when the team member is recognized for an achievement at work. Better yet, if there's going to be a presentation at work, invite the family.
• Minimize - or at least minimize the impact of - unplanned events that can wreak havoc on a team members family life
• Plan events that include family members during work hours. It doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive; you could do something as simple as inviting families to come in for pizza during lunch.

A word of caution, though; don't forget your single team members. Concentrating too much time and effort on the needs of your married team members can serve to alienate those who, by choice or circumstance, are unattached. They likely also have family relationships that should be taken into account, and a leader who truly cares about this aspect of team building will take the time to discover the important relationships in the lives of these team members.