Building a dream team of brilliant, talented, creative and efficient employees who can propel a company forward requires business owners to create a team-based organisation that fosters trust and cooperation. Entrepreneurs recognise that business success comes from the chemistry of different strengths and viewpoints. Products don't build companies, people – and, more importantly, the collective intelligence – do.
As a leader, it’s up to you balance the big picture with individual needs. You establish the guidelines for how your team works together and stays engaged, performance expectations, and goals. Cultivate employees into dream team members and the sum can be much greater than the individual parts.
Here are a few essential ingredients in order to build an effective team of top employees in any business.
1. PURPOSE
Purpose might sound fluffy, but being clear about why your business exists in the first place and ensuring every person you hire is on board with this vision does actually translate to business performance. It is imperative every team member understands their role, why they perform the tasks they do, and how that ties to a larger purpose.
2. COMMUNICATION
Good, concise communication is a must for effectiveness. Successful groups have to communicate frequently and well to stay focused and on track to complete team and company goals. This includes having multiple methods of communication such as face-to-face meetings, email or messaging, online meetings, and videoconferencing. Additionally, communication skills must be developed so everyone clearly articulates their message to other team members.
3. ATTITUDE
Maintaining a positive, “can do” attitude is necessary to minimise dissatisfaction among team members. Stressing a positive attitude and focusing on finding solutions to issues, building respect for each other, creating supportive working relationships, and encouraging an environment of collaboration is essential in building, and retaining, a strong team.
4. COLLABORATION
The fact is, no matter how ambitious the project or the individual is, nothing can replace good old hard work. Team members must work hard to build a sense of collaboration within the team. When collaboration exists, the output of work is greater than the sum of individual team members simply working alone. Collaboration fosters analytical, critical and creative thinking skills through active communication, idea sharing, and joint decision making.
5. COOPERATION
If trust and positive attitudes exist within the team, cooperation falls into place allowing the team to work well together. A certain amount of conflict is inevitable, but not always negative. Working through and managing conflict in a professional way can help teams learn to resolve differences, compromise, and improve team performance through better cooperation.
6. COMMITMENT
Look out for team members who are dedicated to their job. Team members must be committed to the goals of the team and the company to deliver on expectations. Commitment is not measured by time contributed, but by the dedication team members show for the work and for each other achieving results and delivering when expected.
7. PROTOCOL
To be effective and successful, teams need protocols that establish ground rules for standards and behaviour. Protocols must be discussed and accepted in advance to avoid miscommunication and misunderstandings. This includes defining roles and responsibilities, expectations, and rules for team interactions that foster a positive team environment.
8. LEADERSHIP
Team leadership is important to help the team stay focused on the big picture and shared goals. A team leader must be able to convey the right duties to the right people, delegate effectively and follow up to ensure that objectives are completed to specifications. It is the responsibility of the team leader to build on the team’s strengths as they emerge and facilitate communication, collaboration, cooperation, and commitment among all team members.
9. EMPOWERMENT
Each team member should be empowered to feel meaningful, active, and engaged in the team’s goals. Empowerment is critical for learning and performance. Teams that do not feel empowered become passive, act detached and perform less. It is the leader’s role to empower team members through individual communication and mentoring. Those who want a workplace worth working for will create one, if they’re given the tools and freedom to do so.
10. FEEDBACK
Connect each individual to something meaningful and show them their direct contribution by providing opportunities for autonomy and advocacy both internally and externally. Team leaders have to let their people recognise and determine what looks good in the organisation, and give them channels to share these stories in public. Feedback and ownership automatically instills a sense of responsibility, and it also encourages a sense of pride.
11. REWARDS
Business leaders reward people for impact, not presence. Rewards and keeping the team motivated and ambitious is extremely important when the project can take several months or even more to accomplish. It is about awarding not only the individuals in the team, but the whole team together.
12. DELIVERY
Teams must produce desired results and deliver. When a results-oriented culture is instilled in the team as a whole, members are motivated to produce what is expected through team effort and collaboration. And always celebrate such accomplishments and breakthroughs.
Business success is clearly linked to the quality of employees, their individual skills and expertise, and team’s strengths. Use tips above to build trust – integral to successful team building – and inspire team work among employees by enabling and empowering them to accomplish quality, meaningful work that contributes to the overall business objectives and company growth.
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