Leaders, managers, employees, all have one thing in common. They’re all part of a team.
“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” — Babe Ruth
A team can be defined as a group of individuals working towards a common goal. However, a team is more than that. A team serves as a response, a motivator, and makes up an essential part of the backbone of a company or business.
But why is a team so important? Well, teamwork really does make the dream work. Being part of a team reduces stress and improves productivity. Some of today’s best inventions were born from a collaborative effort.
Teams build the foundation of a business, and a business is only as strong as its team. No one has climbed the ladder of success without any help. But what exactly makes a team? And how do you know if your team will be effective?
If you are a part of a team, or responsible for one, keep reading.
Every successful team MUST:
1. Have a dedicated leader
“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.” — Jim Stovall
Every business needs a dedicated leader. A leader must know how to guide their team.
A leader is more than just the person who calls the shots. A leader must be able to respond to their team’s needs and encourage them. Leaders need to be resilient and lead their team by example. They must not forget that they are a part of the team too, not just the head.
This is no easy job as it comes with many other responsibilities such as: delegating tasks, resolving conflict among employees and even more importantly, being able to give and receive feedback. A leader must be able to take constructive criticism, otherwise how would they be able to do the same for their team?
2. Set goals and milestones… and celebrate them
A productive team must have common goals. Setting milestones for your team will motivate them to progressively work towards an even greater objective, without even realising it. It is even highly suggested to set different goals for different employees, based on their strengths and weaknesses. This is a great way to challenge employees and prevent boreout. These goals must be attainable and related to the employee’s skills.
For example, if one employee is great with time management, delegate a task that forces them to work under pressure. On the other hand, if someone else is not too good with respecting deadlines, give smaller projects which lead up to the final thing. This will force the employee to work a little more, each day. Asking for daily updates will also prevent them from slacking off.
A study done by BiWorldwide found that employees with goals feel more confident in their work and “are 3.6 times more likely to be committed to their organization. More specifically, they are 6.7 times more likely to feel proud of their organization and 6.5 times more likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work.”
Although setting goals can increase employee productivity, celebrating them is even more important. Some great ways to celebrate milestones include:
- A simple “thank you”
- Praising an employee in front of the whole team
- Sharing a success story on your business’ social media pages
- Treating your team to lunch or dinner
- Organising a yearly award ceremony with different categories
Celebrating your workers’ achievements, can boost their self-validation in the workplace and also create some healthy competition between employees.
According to a report by Forbes, an alarming 90% of employees had more trust in their boss after receiving some form of recognition from them.
3. Be able to communicate openly with each other
It is said that a fish rots from the head. In this scenario, the fish is the company, and the head is not only the leader, but the entire team. As mentioned above, a business is only as strong as its team. This is where communication comes in. Employees must be able to share thoughts, ideas, and opinions with each other, without the fear of being judged or ridiculed.
All this plays into a healthy work environment which thrives on effective and open communication. If there is no exchange of ideas, no brainstorming and no changes, a company’s growth will remain stagnant, and employees will not do more than what is asked of them. We talk more about how this lack of motivation can cause a domino effect in our article “Can lazy colleagues influence your motivation? Yes, they can, and they will.”
These three factors are indispensable when it comes to making a good team and should constantly be worked on. No team is perfect but it can always be improved. It should be noted that other things such as different personalities, different leadership styles and consistency also play a role when it comes to the effectiveness of a team. However, having a dedicated leader, communicating openly and setting goals will make a team failproof.
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