When it comes to your employees do they work as a cohesive unit – or is there backbiting, slacking off and complaining?
Today, I want to introduce you to an important principle you simply MUST understand if you want to create a work environment where your people can feel empowered to operate at optimal efficiency:
THE IMPORTANT DISTINCTION BETWEEN MERE “STAFF MEMBERS” AND A REAL TEAM.
To illustrate my point, keep in mind the following acronyms:
Salaried folks clocking
Time on the job
And just barely
Following orders with no
Fun at all!
vs.
Together
Everyone
Achieves
More
Here are six ways you can tell if you have a real team or not…
1. Team members honor each others’ differences. Effective teams recognise that not everyone functions the same way and support members’ individual strengths, as opposed to forcing them to fit a rigid mold. This creates team members who are engaged, passionate, loyal, and willing to “play nice” with others.
2. Communication is open and respectful. People feel free to express their feelings without reproach. They do so directly in non-aggressive, non-subversive ways.
3. Disagreements are civilised. When disagreements arise, they are civilised and handled without smothering, avoiding, or suppressing the conflict. At the same time, once a decision has been made, team members move on. (Notice that this doesn’t say there are no disagreements – wherever there are people, there will be disagreements. Rather, successful teams know how to handle them well.)
4. There is a clear vision that everyone buys into. Where there is no group vision, there is no team. On effective teams, everyone accepts the vision and works toward it.
5. People are invested in the outcome. People feel a sense of ownership over the desired outcome and are highly motivated to do their part to achieve it.
6. The team demonstrates a healthy balance of autonomy and shared objectives. Effective teams provide enough flexibility for members to work in ways that best suit their individual needs, while at the same time never losing sight of the overarching goals.
If you’re concerned about staff problems, reach out to me. I’ll be happy to walk you through the entire process. You can call me direct on 07971 174092, reply to this email or CLICK HERE to book a FREE 30 minute consultation into my calendar.
