Team work is defined as the process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal. In business, people cooperate, using their skills to achieve a common goal. Teamwork is often a critical part of a business. Learning how to work well with your team is essential to the success of your business. Teamwork is an investment of time and commitment. Make it a priority and the investment will pay huge dividends.
Interpersonal Communication-learning how each member of your team receives and gives information is imperative. Mastering the different styles of how people communicate will help you effectively interact with your team. (read Hiring the Right Employee for more information on DISC personality assessment.) Reading non verbal queues such as body language will give you a deeper understanding of how your team operates. Does the person sit back in his chair, look you in the eye when you speak etc. Understanding how your team communicates will help you create a successful plan for the team.
Trust– it goes both ways, you’ve got trust your team and they need to trust you. Trust your team to be truthful, honest, considerate and realistic. Building a team of people you know will give you an honest answer no matter what the circumstances is essential. When you can count on your team to tell you the honest, sometimes ugly truth, you can make decisions that will make a difference. For instance, if your sales team tells you they can’t meet their quota, listen to their concerns, discuss some options and if appropriate, create a new strategy that will help them meet the goal. Being approachable and helping your team to succeed will build their trust in you.
Reward-show your team how much you appreciate their victories, large or small. Telling people what a great job they did, taking the team to lunch, public recognition, such as an award, time off and of course the gift of money. However, you choose to say thank you, say it often. Let your team know how important they are to you and how much you appreciate their hard work.
Over Communicate-clearly define your objectives for the team and restate the objectives often. Clarify your expectations of personal conduct and etiquette, company goals, and team goals. The objectives should be measurable and communicated over and over. For example the company objective statements should include how the company will measure the outcome of the goal. A qualifying statement about where the company is currently and where the company would like to be can be a road map to success.
Andrew Carnegie described it accurately, “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
