For teams to be effective and efficient people must be motivated to contribute and do their best. Motivating can take various forms and shapes, but it always comes down to the following fundamental concepts: Comfort – people need to feel comfortable at work Variety – people want variety in their work and responsibilities Contribution & significance – their work must …
Team unity
All members of a team (irrespective of size) must be on the same page at all times. Each of the members must be familiar with procedures, processes and policies and adhere to them across the board. This helps to build the cohesiveness of the unit and demonstrates collegiality and unity to all those you interact and work with. Furthermore, it …
Customer centric, employee aware
Truly successful teams are both customer centric and employee aware. In order to be able to provide useful products and services one must design, create and build those with their customers in mind. However, equally important is the need to be aware of the needs of your staff in order for them to be successful. Leadership must provide resources and …
Don’t be afraid, explore new opportunities
Don’t be afraid to explore new opportunities. Say yes to cross-functional teams, projects and challenges which will help you gain new perspectives, grow and learn from others. During these opportunities others will hopefully learn from you as well and all those involved will benefit from this mutual exchange of ideas, knowledge and experience. Finally, once you return to your primary …
Telecommuting: be flexible on work locations
As long as people are accountable, productive and valuable to your organization in most instances it shouldn’t matter where they work from. Don’t dismiss telecommuting as soon as you hear it mentioned, but rather do your diligence and consider it within your environment. It can go a long way in boosting morale, productivity and contributions (not to mention less people …
Foster collaboration and share information
Foster collaboration and share ideas, information and knowledge. Mentality where each department thinks and acts as if they were in their own little world or a silo doesn’t work and will get them nowhere. No matter what team, group, department or a division you belong to the overall value for the entire organization needs to be kept in mind and …
Open door policy is not optional
Managers and leaders must be available to their teams in any way their staff needs them to be (assuming professionalism and appropriateness of course). Your office door must be open to them, and you need to be accessible and approachable whenever they might need to speak with you. Staff needs to know that you are there to hear them out …
Hire better than you
Whenever possible, hire people who are better than you. Hire those who are the best you have ever seen within the domain of services or products that your team is responsible for. You want quality over quantity and you’ll want it every single time. Additionally, you don’t want the rest of your team to be doing someone else’s job in …
Trust, but verify (quietly)
As you introduce new staff to your team it is essential to verify their skills, quality and performance and ensure that they are a valuable addition to your team. However, when you do this, make sure you do it quietly as you don’t want any “bruised” egos or notions of distrust among employees. This can be done in a variety …
Build your team, then get out of their way
Due your due diligence when building a team and get involved in the selection process. Your direct reports need to match your quality standards as well as their personality needs to fit with the rest of the team. Once you have built your team, empower them and get out of their way. Don’t micromanage, trust them and allow them to …