A team is a group of people who collaborate on related tasks toward a common goal. Teamwork involves a set of interdependent activities performed by individuals who collaborate toward a common goal. Some characteristics of effective teamwork are like people share same value, have mutual trust, have vision, have combined abilities ,skills and work together to achieve a common goal.
Behind any business success lies a great team. A team exists to allow an effort to grow, flourish in a way that would be literally impossible for one person to do. Actually a successful team starts with hiring the right people, those who value working toward a common goal, are goal-oriented. Once the right people are in place, the goal is to bring them together into a cohesive unit. Even the most innovative entrepreneurs cannot scale from an idea to actualized success without the help of a team. There’s simply too much work for one person to do alone. It cannot be a proper business without a dynamic team working cohesively to execute a shared business plan.
How to Build a Strong Team :
- Establish expectations from day one. New employees and new team members tend to arrive as relatively blank slates, open to an array of company cultures, but they will quickly start seeking cues for how to operate as a member of your company. Take advantage of this. Set ground rules, and let your expectations be known from the beginning, in terms of the type of team environment you’re looking to establish & let new team members understand what they’re signing up for.
- Do respect your team members as individuals. It is important to not regard new team members as bodies who will perform tasks. A robust team environment blossoms when individuals are honored and respected for their unique gifts and their ability to contribute toward your common goal.
- Try to build connections within the team. While it’s critically important that you value and honor each individual member of the team, it’s also important that the team members themselves exhibit that same respect and care toward one another. Encourage individuals to not regard one another as a body who sits at the desk next to them, but as a business partner who will work toward a shared goal of business development, individual success, and achieving team goals.
- Do practice emotional intelligence. Great leaders value the importance of emotional intelligence. This means that their leadership style includes treating individuals as human beings, not living drones. Great leaders understand that not every person is motivated by the same thing. Some team players thrive on pursuing shared goals. Others seek healthy competition, either with an outside competitor or against another sales team in the same office. By embracing the realities of different work styles and different forms of motivation, an effective leader will treat people’s individual differences as an asset, not an obstacle.
- Motivate with positivity. Resist the urge to criticize team members’ mistakes. Instead, create a positive team environment by citing events and behaviors that you particularly liked and encourage your team to bring more where that came from. Positive reinforcement is a far more productive manner of motivating team performance than shaming those who screwed up.
- Build up communication. Effective communication can keep working relationships strong for decades, while silence can break things apart very quickly.
- Look for ways to reward good work. People love affirmation of their hard work. If you’re fortunate enough to be able to give financial bonuses, this is a great way to show appreciation. An easy way is to practice the art of delegating. For say if a team member are creative team and bring so many creative idea, features, let them to make some products and try to set as new product of a company and give them the credit. If a team member shows great judgement, allow them to make some key decisions that you may have once reserved for yourself. If they are particularly responsible with money, give them authority to use the company credit card. Find a small way to show that you’re paying close attention to your employees and their efforts are appreciated. It will reflect well on you as a boss and help remind people that they are a valued member of the team.
- Diversify. When it comes to building your business, your team should be as diverse as possible—different backgrounds, experiences, ages, and opinions. Hire with the goal of covering your blind spots: surround yourself with people who will inform the judgment calls you make and the content you put out.
- Find a team you trust. Find a self-starter. Someone who can make decisions on your behalf and who’s going to be a good ambassador for you and your business. Groom them to be collaborators by empowering them to make leadership decisions on their own. You’re investing time and resources into this person, so consider their potential for longevity at your company.
Ummay Honey
Intern, YSSE Admin & HR Department.
