Have you ever wondered why some teams work together and are successful while others are not? The short answer is chemistry. When the chemistry is right, TEAMS ROCK!
Here are six things that can help to create a team culture that will make YOUR team rock!
- Share responsibility among all team members. This is one of the easiest ways to develop mutual accountability within the team. When team members know they must count on each other, then they do not want to be the one to let the team down. Mutual accountability is critical.
- Get everyone to know each member’s strengths as well as their weaknesses. A great team is made up of a group of people with complementary skills. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and when Sharon’s strength can assist Bob’s weakness, it creates a win–win for the entire team.
- Role definition is vital. Each person has his/her role on the team, and the team has a role within the organization. Each person must know their role as well as the role of their team. Too often, team members do not understand how their daily tasks integrate into the rest of the organization. An operations team naturally understands what a sales team does. Does the sales team naturally understand the role of the operations team? Does everyone understand what they contribute to the success of the organization?
- 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 greatest misconceptions in business today is that motivation must come from above. Motivation comes from within and each team member plays a part in increasing others’ desires to improve and self-motivate. Each and every person has the ability to positively or negatively influence other team members, sometimes without even knowing they are doing it.
- Get everyone to know something, on a personal level, about each other. This can be a little sticky with some employees, because they feel 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 something about each other, they can more easily empathize and help the team to grow. The key factor here is; do not force the issue with someone who absolutely does not want to share. Give them time to come around. If they do not, they may naturally see they are not a good fit for the team and may choose to leave of their own accord.
- Encourage open communication up, down, and across the chain of command. When employees feel 100% comfortable coming to the team leader about any issues, the team grows. 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 thing is to make sure the entire team recognizes this and follows suit. This is one of the best ways to demonstrate integrity, and everyone needs to remember, you can do one of three things when you talk with co-workers:
- In one ear and out the other.
- In one ear and into your heart 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.
- Less than 18 – Major challenges and you need help quickly. Contact us to help you determine which areas need the most help.
The best part of being part of a team that rocks is that it is rewarding and fun. When these two factors are in place the work becomes easier, the process becomes enjoyable, and stress is reduced both at work and at home.
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