BUILDING AN OLYMPIC TEAM

"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." --Andrew Carnegie

When it comes to managing, team work is critical! Like an Olympic team who train together to win the Gold, your team works together to achieve a goal. Now we have all heard how working together achieves goals, but how do you build a great team? This depends on how closely you work with them and more importantly how you work with them.

I am sure we have all heard the saying “There is no “I” in Team.” But when you think about it there really is. A team is made up of “I”ndividuals whose strengths determine the success of the team. A team is created by gathering several people to achieve one goal. A great team is built by developing each team member’s individual strengths. This can be accomplished by Respecting, Motivating, Challenging, Coaching and Acknowledging your team members.

Respect –  Respecting your team members is important. When team members don’t feel their opinions matter they lose interest in contributing to the team. Listening to others and acknowledging their suggestions is vital in team building.

Motivate – Motivation is one of the main elements behind success. It is the force that drives all human behavior and moves a person to take action. Use this force to help drive your team.

Challenge – Challenge your team to learn new skills and try new areas of interest. By making them push their limits it helps each team member determine what areas they are strongest in by discovering their individual strengths and weakness. Determining each member’s strengths and what they can best offer to the team will help make them more successful.

Coach – Coach your team when they are struggling with an issue or have made a mistake. Coaching helps provides positive feedback while also guiding them to improve and grow. Employees who respond positively to coaching and improve their performance can become valued contributors to the success of the business.

Acknowledgement – Acknowledgement, although sometimes not thought about, I believe one of the most important part of building a team. It helps reduce turnover, absenteeism, increases productivity and keeps your team engaged in their work.

Now that we know what we need, let’s talk about how to develop your team. An important thing to remember here is to make EVERYONE know that they are part of the team, whether your team consists of direct employees, contracted staff or a combination of both. Staff that is contracted, and not an immediate employee of your company, tend to feel like step children. By including them, you build their self-worth and in turn motivate them to succeed.

Build your team by holding regular meetings. Although meetings can become too long and have little value, I believe a quick five to ten minute huddle to discuss items on a set agenda is important. During each meeting, or huddle, discuss the upcoming projects, items that have been completed and issues that have arisen. This will keep everyone informed and prevent them from feeling left out. In the event there is not much on the agenda hold the meeting anyway. If there is nothing of importance to discuss then end the meeting early by saying “If there is nothing else, then I will give you back 9 minutes of your day.” Make the meetings consistent whether they are weekly, monthly or quarterly. Otherwise they will not seem important and neither will the recognition or motivation that is given during the meeting.

During the meeting ask team members to give an update on their projects. If a team member is having difficulty with a task, ask the other members for suggestions. This will help eliminate the problem, teach team members each other’s strengths and in turn provide a better quality of teamwork. Be sure to also have an open forum for questions/statements during each meeting and ask the team if they have any issues or ideas to discuss. The team should know they are an important part of the process and completion of the projects.

Work with your team to build trust and respect. If you see a situation occur that needs correcting, don’t reprimand them, coach them. This will help make sure the issue is resolved and that they have learned from the experience. The goal of coaching is to work with the team member to solve performance problems and improve their work which in return benefits themselves, the team, and the department. 

Motivate your team by making them part of the process. This can be done in several ways. One way is by assigning a team member a project or task to complete. This helps each member feel like they are an important and vital part of the team. It’s even a more powerful motivator if you can help them arrive at the decision on their own. To keep everyone motivated, focus on a small goal and then reward them. Whether the reward is a simple thank you, donuts on Friday morning or something else, an acknowledgement can go a long way in making your team feel valuable and appreciated. Challenge your team. I am always asking my team where they want to be in two years and what can I do to help them achieve that goal.

Challenge your team to learn new things. Cross train them so they can assist if you need help in another department and help them push their limits and learn new things. Team members who don’t work towards a goal or advancing will usually get bored with their position and burn out after a period of time. Keep your team engaged and excited by challenging them. 

Last but not least, keep everyone enthusiastic by acknowledging and rewarding your team. I typically treat my team to a quarterly luncheon. This is a perfect opportunity to have a captive audience. During the lunch review tasks or issues that need to be discussed and acknowledge your team for their great work and ideas. One thing to remember when acknowledging a team is how they may react. Determining how each team member feels about recognition is important. Some people love to be acknowledged in front of a crowd while others prefer a simple thank you in private. To get the most from your team determine what they prefer and then proceed accordingly. If your team members like public recognition, then have a team meeting where certificates and other forms of recognition are awarded. If they prefer to be more reserved, award them the acknowledgement privately. An important thing to remember here is to not alienate or only recognize the awarded team members. 

So, if we respect, motivate, coach, challenge and acknowledge our team members will we have an Olympic team? Yes, but only if we train our team to use these techniques with each other as well. A team that destroys itself in the course of accomplishing its mission is no team at all; even if everyone is a team player. 

Team work is a skill that creates success. Creating a team is easy; building a great team is the challenge. As Henry Ford once said: “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success.”

This article was published in the CAI Community CONTACT SUMMER 2016 magazine.