The best companies are built on top of great teams, and the best teams are built with great individuals. So what can you do to build your team? Below are five tips that I’ve found helpful in building better teams over the years. If you feel I’m missing something important, let me know in the comments section below! In no particular order…
Building credibility helps people believe you and gives them reason to trust you. Create a strategy for improving your personal or professional credibility by brainstorming ways to build it. If you’re in a new business field, read books or attend seminars related to your industry. If you’re working with teams, have each person give a testimonial about why they value your leadership style. If you’re not sure where to start, focus on what clients love about doing business with you and why they trust that relationship.
Your vision is a snapshot of your team in 5 years. What do you want to accomplish? The clearer and more detailed your vision, the easier it will be for people to buy into it and work toward achieving it. As an example, if your vision is to become one of the top tech companies in America then that’s not very clear. However, if your vision is to make our product available to every American with a smartphone by 2021 then that has much more detail and clarity.
Collaboration is key to most business and personal success. Although each of us has our own style of communication, there are ways to get everyone on board, increase productivity and create a great team dynamic. Be a better leader by doing these five things: consider your audience; make sure your team knows they’re valued; set goals that appeal to their interests and skills; give them feedback often and seek advice from others within your organization.
Honesty is perhaps one of most important qualities in a person. Without honesty, it’s impossible to have faith in anyone or anything else. You can’t rely on your partner if they aren’t truthful with you. Similarly, if your employee lies to you about a mistake they made at work, how can you ever expect them to improve?
Making sure that each individual understands his or her role and is motivated to do it well is crucial to any team’s success. The best way to achieve that understanding is to ask questions, listen carefully, and give real answers. If you don’t have an answer for a question, look into it before your next one-on-one meeting with an employee; if you can’t get back to them within a few days, let them know when you will be able to get back to them.
Check out the NYT’s ideas on building a better team