Cross-functional teams — those with people from different departments who have varied expertise — are becoming more common, as is the rise of project-based work arrangements.  Early in your career, you may even find that your first “real” leadership role is managing a newly formed, cross-functional team for a specific and short-term project. There are a few key actions new leaders can take to get their team off to a great start.

• Establish goals and roles. Each member has different knowledge, skills, abilities, and past experiences. As the team leader, it’s important to establish the scope of the project quickly, deliberate on the tasks required, and facilitate a discussion around who on the team would be best suited for different tasks. Resist the urge to assign tasks to whomever volunteers first, instead think who fits the task best.
• Set communication norms. Just as your team members will bring different knowledge, skills, and abilities, they’ll also bring their own unique work and communication preferences. Take some time during the initial project kickoff to discuss those work and communication preferences. Failure to establish collaboration norms tells teammates they can work and communicate however they want, making it more likely for messages to get missed.
• Build safety and candor. To generate ideas and solve problems, we need to lower inhibitions and create a culture where each member can be more honest and less guarded. To encourage this openness, new leaders often call for candor in meetings, but doing so before building psychological safety is a mistake. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to establish that level of safety. You can do this by signaling your own openness to feedback or expressing doubt in your own ideas.
• Celebrate milestones and small wins. Milestones don’t just track progress; they serve as an early warning signal that a pivot might need to be made. These milestones will also give the team early wins to celebrate and help them feel a sense of accomplishment. Celebrating small wins can boost morale and foster a sense of collective appreciation