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Extracting The Best From a Team

Extracting The Best From a Team

To form a team you'll need a group of individuals who have similar interests and attitudes, and they come together on a common platform. Many individuals are not capable of doing all tasks and many times they will need guidance from others. And that's one of the main purposes of a team. To help individuals perform and accomplish complicated tasks. This means that all members of the team can contribute equally, according to their capabilities and, as result, achieve maximum output.

But getting the best out of a team is not just about hard work. It requires an intelligent approach, particularly from the person who is the designated team leader. You really want to try hard not to impose things on the team members. In fact, you'll find better results if you let each individual accept their responsibilities on their own.

Motivation is Key

Probably the most important driving force of any team's success is going to be motivation.  As we are all aware, a demotivated person finds it very difficult to both concentrate on their work, and be productive, as to all intents and purposes, they have lost interest in both their tasks and the organisation as a whole. That's why thinking in terms of ways to reward individual members of your team is the best way to achieve the best results. Look for performance linked incentives and other perks that can be used to help motivate individuals. If you can make people feel good about themselves, then the most difficult part of the job is done.

Clear Communication Matters

Another important factor is communication. What are the goals the team are striving for or have been put together for? These must be clearly stated and understood by every team member. It's important that each person understands their role and responsibilities within the team structure. Confusion is going to be your enemy here, as it will lead to a slowdown in all processes. Please ensure that any workload is shared equally amongst team members. And also be sure that as team leader, you are not interfering with your team member’s work or work schedule. Essentially, your job as team leader is to put in place an environment whereby the team members can work uninterrupted and uninhibited.

The Right Person For The Right Job

If you are a team leader and you are delegating responsibilities, please ensure that each job goes to a team member who has that particular specialisation or interests. It may sound like common sense to assign work to those best suited to do it, but we see time and again, that thanks to laziness or lack of awareness, that leads to tasks being given to those least qualified to do them. Likewise, it's important to put any bias you may have on one side. You must never be partial to a particular member of your team as this will lead to serious issues further down the road. Just because you may be friends with one member does not mean that they should be given preferential treatment.

Empathy Goes a Long Way

Though sometimes our day-to-day work lives can be very frustrating, it's important that we do not take out our frustration on any team members. This includes openly criticizing someone. Whatever you do, never shout or scold a team member in front of others. By demeaning team members, you will only be demeaning yourself in their eyes. And once respect has left the building, then your job as team leader will become impossible. Never insult anyone and always speak with a civil and polite  tongue. If you feel someone has made a serious mistake, then call them in and talk with them separately. Don't just correct someone, but also show them where they went wrong and how they might go about doing things differently the next time. Be kind and sympathetic at all times and remember, that in the opposite situation, when someone has done something very well, then be sure to show your appreciation.

Let The Team Make Decisions That Affect Them

We suggest that you use email as the preferred method of communication amongst all your team members and you should encourage them to do likewise. On the one hand, this gives the exchange of information a form of transparency and let's everyone see a clear picture as to what's happening. It also means that no one feels neglected or left out. When you are attending a meeting, then always bring a notepad with you as this is part of being well prepared. Keep in mind that as a team leader, you should not make decisions alone. Rather you should always invite suggestions from all members of the team. After all, though you may consider it as your team, it’s actually the team of all of its members. Any strategies or policy decisions should be discussed openly, and all team members should be encouraged and thanked for their valuable contribution and inputs. All members of the team should feel empowered, as this way they will dedicate maximum energy to making sure the team achieves its goals.

Break Down Barriers

Many years ago, many Western employers were shocked when they discovered that Japanese management had their meals with their workers. It was almost as if a class structure existed and management were not to mix with employees of a lower rank. Today, thankfully, these attitudes are gradually disappearing. It's important that when dealing with teams, that you sit down and break bread together. If it's during the lunch break, then do not discuss work issues, but rather focus on more personal and general chat. This is a chance to talk about informal stuff, like family and friends, parents or relatives, and life outside of the office. 

Remember There’s Life Outside of Work 

And talking of life outside the office, it's important to understand that, though their work is important, it is not the number one factor in many people's lives. People have families, friends, hobbies, and other activities that they enjoy doing much more than coming to the office. Once you understand this, then dealing with your team will become much easier. At the end of the day, you are in the same boat as your team members, in that though you may work hard, your company owes you nothing and will fire all of you in the blink of an eye.  Likewise, you owe the company no loyalty. So there's no point in having a dictatorial attitude when it comes to dealing with your team members. Give everybody enough space so that they can find fulfillment and maybe even enjoyment in their jobs. In other words, try and be understanding. Yes, their office projects might be important, but in the grand scheme of things it’s all rather meaningless.

Of course, it's perfectly fine to set time limits for your team members, but once done, leave them to work at their own convenience. So don't be constantly looking over their shoulder.  Give them space and freedom to work on  their own. Otherwise you will only be adding more pressure which is always counterproductive.

Create An Ideal Working Environment

On a related note, please ensure that the working conditions are suitable for the job at hand.  Make sure there is enough light, tools like whiteboards, tablets or laptops, coffee, tea and snacks. In fact, everything that could help encourage a more productive working environment.  Also let the team decide on any home comforts or things that they feel may help them work better. It's important that you constantly monitor and praise your team members. We suggest that you have a performance review every couple of weeks and sit down together to discuss any issues that might have come up. Be sure that they are satisfied in their working environment. Also use these performance reviews as an opportunity to motivate individual team members.

Resolve Conflicts With Kindness

With people being people, with all different types, and with many equally different opinions being thrown together, you will sometimes come across conflict within your team. More especially when your team is working under any sort of pressure. Always have one eye and ear open to any potential conflicts. You must help each team member resolve conflict as quickly as possible in order to avoid stress and anxiety. Leading on from this, you must never ever discuss personal matters including rumours or gossip with anyone else. When you have something to say, always say it to the person's face, in  privacy away from the other team members. Make sure that everybody in your team feels special. That you value them and you will always be there to support them. To get the best from your team you will need to be both patient and intelligent enough to handle them correctly. Meaning with care and the utmost respect. 
 

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