Tag! You're It.....Now What?

Ever been faced with the uncanny situation of havng to pick teams?  Gasp....How do you decide?  Maybe you barely know these people, but somehow you've got to figure out who will best work together "on the fly"......

Here are a few quick tips to get you going in the right direction!

1. First of all, remember you are picking a Team...not necessarily the most popular or the most skilled performers.  You need supporting members as well as allstars.
2. Look each of your candidates in the face as you do the sorting process.  If they do not return eye contact, they probably do not want to be chosen.  Don't pick them!
3. Who is a cool cucumber and who is nervous and fidgety?  You guessed it....calm is good!
4. Depending on the task for your new team, you may consider body type, athletic prowess, talents, whatever, but only after you have carefully eliminated the non-eye contact, nervous types. 
5. Confidence is good, but be careful with those who show too much "posturing"....overconfidence  can lead to conflict right out of the gate. 
6. Trust your gut.  You  probably know more than you think about these people if you take a moment to really reflect on your gut feelings.  If someone seems to have a good "persona" to you, take it as a sign you will work well together
7. You will likely end up having to take someone whom you might not have necessarily wanted.  Realize that once you have chosen them, your original impression of them doesn't matter.  Each player is a part of your new team, and deserves to be treated with equal respect.
8. Think Yang and Ying.  Do you have a good balance?  Sometimes the most unlikely candidates will shine if given the right opportunity.  You may have one person who seems strong at one thing....so look for an "opposing" strength when you pick the next person.
9. Odd man out?  If the teams don't end up even, then let the last person to be chosen "choose" his own team.  This gives him some empowerment to save face, plus lets the team he chooses know he wants to work with them. If you make the suggestion, it empowers you as a strong leader.
10. Once your team is chosen, have a conference with the other team leader aside from everyone else.  Make sure you both agree that you have chosen fairly and are satisfied with your teams.