Leading your employees is a critical tool for business owners, one that for most requires lifelong learning and perfecting. It’s a big deal, for sure, but it’s really just part of the equation for having employees who are excited to come to work and do their best.
Another piece of the puzzle, every bit as important and challenging to achieve, is the art of building a team. Not just a bunch of individuals who show up and share a space every day while they do their jobs. But a true cohesive team. A team that clicks.
Houston Chronicle Small Business says the best teamwork happens when “…individual contributors harmonize their efforts and work toward a common goal.” Good teams rarely, if ever, happen by accident. Instead, they’re the product of thoughtful, deliberate actions, including hard work, commitment and even some struggle. Some key teamwork ingredients:
- Good leadership. Things like follow through and “walking the talk” on your part really matter. As does knowing when to be hands on and when to be hands off, which means understanding what makes your team tick. Leaders who listen, are approachable, demonstrate good problem-solving and recognize the team’s value and good work are creating “that certain something” that makes a great team.
- Adaptability. Rigidity kills motivation and teamwork! Team members need to have the freedom and confidence to cross the lines to get the job done. Assuming this sense of responsibility not only leads to more and more successes but it also builds a sense of pride and ownership.
- Diversity. Differences in thought, perspective, experience and skill sets are the richness and fuel that make teams soar. Smart leaders intentionally build teams that mix it up. This means being open to new solutions and really considering—not dismissing—even the most oddball, off-the-wall suggestions from your team.
- Conflict management. Even in the best of teams, there will be conflict. Business owners and managers are often uncomfortable with conflict and want to ignore it and hope it goes away! Instead, see it as a necessary part of the process, a special kind of problem-solving that will ultimately strengthen the team and may even yield some new solutions. Conflict needs to be resolved quickly and is a healthy ingredient in an environment where there is trust, respect and professionalism from you but among team members, too.
- Communication. As a business owner, you already know the importance of communication on all fronts. But when it comes to building and sustaining an effective team, communication must be continual and multi-directional: Between you and the team and among team members themselves. Regular team meetings are great. But did you know that some of the best ideas and solutions come from the informal, day-to-day interaction among team members that happens naturally and spontaneously? Absolutely! If you somehow believe that when employees are talking, they aren’t working, think again. You’re working against the teamwork that is percolating during the chit-chat and (apparent) goofing around.
Keep these things in mind as you develop your team, and you will be rewarded. You’ll see higher productivity, fewer internal issues and most of all, a more enjoyable and stimulating work environment.
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