Did you know that it is possible to build a strong and successful team – and here are 7 ways to show you how.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “Teamwork makes the dream work”, but building a great team is not always so easy. A strong and successful team that you can trust is essential for the growth of your business. It’s important that you invest time and effort into building a team that can drive your business towards success. Here’s how to do it.
#1.Value Your Team
The MOST important part of building a strong and successful team is valuing them. In order to build a great team, you first have to value them and show them that they’re valued. Keep in mind the idea that you look after your team, your team looks after your customers. Under appreciated team members quickly lose motivation and become passive and uninterested. Appreciating your team now lays the foundation for their future success and helps you to put the following steps into place.
#2.Create Clear Lines of Communication
Establish clear lines of communication with your team and ensure that they communicate well with each other. If you want your team to work together, it’s important to ensure that all members know exactly what’s going on – no-one should be left in the dark. Moreover, regular communication and transparency shows team members that they are respected and valued, which is essential for maintaining staff morale.
Working remotely is no excuse for poor communication in this day and age. There are plenty of great team management platforms out there, such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, and you can host virtual meetings via Zoom.
#3.Set Clear Roles and Responsibilities for your Team
Clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of each team member so that everyone knows exactly what they should (and shouldn’t) be doing. This allows your team to operate smoothly without treading on each other’s toes. And at the same time ensures that no tasks slip through the cracks. Your team functions at its best when everyone knows what to do.
#4.Establish Strong Systems & Processes
Make sure you have clear systems & processes. This not only makes it easier to bring new team members in so they can hit the ground running. It also improves consistency across the business, makes delegation easier and allows team members to help each other when needed.
Even if you don’t have team members at the moment, if you know you will do one day then start this bit now. As you carry out a process, write it down, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just type it up in word or google docs. Why start it now? Because if you wait until you need to hire someone it means you’ll be too busy to do it. If you wait until they start it’ll be down to you to explain every single process and you’ll be too busy.
#5.Set Goals for the Team
Your team needs a purpose. Setting short, medium and long-term goals helps to motivate your team and give them direction. Each member should be able to appreciate the importance of their work and understand how they’re contributing to the bigger picture. On top of this, clear goals provide a framework for decision making and effective action.
#6.Involve Team Members
Even the most powerful of teams quickly lose motivation when they feel as though they’re being dictated to. Your team members are on the ground taking care of day to day operations. Involving the whole team in the decision-making process, where possible, makes them feel valued, competent and capable. Your team is much more likely to be passionate about a decision they had a hand in making, so listen to their opinions and consider their ideas. Not only does this help to motivate your team, but it also helps to strengthen the bonds between them.
#7.Get to Know Each Other
We’re not just talking traditional “team-building”, but some out of office socialising allows team members to understand each other better and promotes trust and unity. Choosing fun team building activities can boost morale and help create a more positive office atmosphere, which is great for the health of your business.
Bounce ideas around with your team or even better let a team member be the ‘Head of Fun’ and they can come up with the ideas to share with the team. Dragging a team along to do something unappealing won’t do much for morale especially if you’re asking them to give up personal time.
It doesn’t have to cost a lot either. Find free ideas online, such as https://teambuilding.com/blog/team-building-worksheets
Build your strong and successful team
Building a strong and successful team isn’t rocket science, but it does take work. Be a genuine leader, make a conscious effort to value and communicate with your team. It goes a long way towards setting them up for success. It’s well worth your time to ensure that everyone is clear on their specific goals and responsibilities. Encouraging your team to bond outside of work helps your company to run like a well-oiled machine.
If you’re unsure whether you can afford to build and develop your team, get in touch to see how we can give you that financial clarity.