Ever wonder why some businesses work together great as a team while other companies struggle to get projects off the ground? This is an easy question to answer. The ones who have a successful team are the ones that take the time and the steps to hire people who fit in with their culture.
It doesn’t matter if your company is just starting out or if you have been in business for years. Your team is the ones that determine your business’s performance. Building a great team takes good leadership and a lot of effort. You are bringing together many different personalities, and some will rub each other the wrong way. This is where you come in. Don’t be afraid to make sure timelines are met, make the hard choices, and ensure employees are doing their best. Encourage the team, praise them, and take care of issues before they become a problem.
Hire the Right People, Especially in Times of Rapid Growth
If your company suddenly starts growing fast, it might be tempting to hire quickly without considering how they fit in with other employees. You can do this before the application process if you have a business profile that tells your story. Hiring just one person who does not fit your company’s values can cause chaos with the team.
If you hire someone who doesn’t work well with your other employees, you can see if they can adjust over time. Pay attention to any type of behavior that causes problems as soon as you see it. A lot of employers ignore it and assume it will go away in time. How often do you see toxic behavior go away in time? It doesn’t; it only progresses.
Encourage Open Communication
Once you have great employees who work well together, you want to keep this going. This is why you need effective communication. You can do this by having meetings and letting everyone express their opinions, ideas, and solve any problems that arise. Ensure your employees are comfortable bringing any complaints to you to address issues before they become problematic.
While pointing out areas that need improvement, also point out areas where they are excelling. Instead of calling out one employee by name for mistakes, focus on what they are doing right as a whole. People are always willing to work harder when they feel like they are valued members of the team.
Rotate Positions for Career Development
Great employers focus on their employees’ professional development goals. Take the time to get to know your employees and how your company can help with professional development. If your business is just starting, you can’t promise employees the chance to grow within your company, but you can promise to help develop their skillset.
Benefits of focusing on expanding your employees’ skills
- Employees are less likely to quit
- Attracts new employees
- Improves your companies reputation
- It develops new skills and improves current skills.
Be Specific when Setting Goals
In order to work better together, your team needs to know what they are trying to accomplish. You need to make sure they’re clear about where they fit into the plan and exactly what their roles are. Without setting milestones for your team to work toward, you can end up with disorganization and chaos.
It’s a fact some people fit in with some other than others. In order to avoid cliques being formed, the team needs to have one main goal they need to achieve. Having a clear set of expectations gives them a sense of camaraderie so when they are working independently, they will still make decisions based on the team’s goals.
Take Time for Team Building Exercises
This may be a new concept for many businesses, although it is an excellent way to encourage teamwork. These types of exercises let your employees learn to work together and build strong bonds while improving communication. While team-building exercises help bring people together, they can also be a great way to release stress after a long day. One of the best ways to forge strong relationships is through laughter.
Below are a few ideas for exercises to strengthen your team
- Human knot – all people grab the person’s hands across from them and then figure out how to undo them.
- Two truths and a lie- If you have ever played this game, you know how fun it is and how much you learn about others.
- Guide a blindfolded employee – Break up employees into separate groups. Blindfold one of them, and then the others work together to guide the member to a specific spot.
- Boardgames – choose a few games for you and your employees to play together
- Karaoke – this is an excellent way to encourage teamwork by having fun.
- Potlucks are a great way to build teamwork and create a bond.
You’ve hired a great group of employees and are now ready to start team-building. This step is essential for employees to learn to work effectively together. Team building can take a long time, but in the end, it is well worth it.
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