Think about your team—what are the types of people on your team? Have you ever wondered why some teams are so quick to work together and others are not? A critical element of team development is the chemistry. When the chemistry is right teams work. In the event your team is not jelling, follow these six quick tips:
- Share responsibility among all team members. This is one of the easiest ways to get the team to develop mutual accountability. If team members know they must count on each other, then no member will want to be the one to let the team down.
- Get everyone to know each person’s strengths and weakness. This will aid in getting everyone to build on each other. We cannot all share the same strengths so when Sharon’s strength can assist Bob’s weakness, it creates a win–win for the team.
- Team, as well as member, role understanding. Too often, team members do not understand how what they are doing applies to the vision of the organization. This is critical on an individual basis and having a clear understanding of what the team does for the benefit of the whole organization is just as important.
- Encourage members to praise each other. Like Canadian geese that honk along their flight, it is important for team members to motivate and encourage each other. One of the largest misconceptions in business today is that motivation must come from management. Motivation must come from within and each member can play a part in increasing others’ desires to improve and self motivate.
- Get everyone to know something on a personal level about each other. This one is a little sticky with some employees because they feel that they are there to work and not to socialize. While on the surface this is 100% correct, it has been shown that when employees know a little bit about each other they can more easily empathize and help the team to grow stronger. Key factor here – do not force the issue with someone who absolutely does not want to share. Give them time to come around or, if they do not, they may naturally see they are not a good fit for this team and may leave of their own accord.
- Encourage open communication up the chain of command. When employees feel 100% comfortable in coming to the team leader about issues, then the team grows significantly. Be careful not to talk outside of class here. One of the best tools can easily become a deadly one if the leader shares personal information. The critical part here is to make sure the entire team recognizes this and follows suit. Everyone needs to remember, you can do one of three things when you talk with an employee or co-worker.
- In one ear and out the other.
- In one ear and into your heart and soul.
- In one ear and out the mouth.
How does your team stack up? Rate your team on a scale of 1-5 in each of the above power tips and see how your team scores:
- 26 – 30 – Awesome
- 22 – 25 – Good – see where you can improve
- 18 – 21 – On the right track – now get everyone on board
- < 18 – Find the areas that needs the greatest help and conquer them one at a time
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