What good is a good team if they don’t work well together? As a manager, you’ve assembled a group of employees who need to rely on each other and collaborate toward a common goal, but if there’s not a strong sense of team, the teamwork won’t…well, work.
You can help encourage your employees to work together in a way that fosters a strong sense of shared responsibility and success — in the end, it’ll help everyone.
Here are a few ways to encourage effective teamwork that builds everyone up.
Define roles and responsibilities from the start.
Everyone has a job to do. But does everyone know how their job relates to the rest of the group? If there are overlapping tasks, that might lead to confusion and some frustration occasionally. You can provide clarity and definition by outlining what each person, or each job title, is responsible for and explaining how each person’s work relies on, and contributes to, everyone else’s and the success of the group. This can help improve communication as well!
Encourage communication and help make it a priority.
Effective communication is so essential when it comes to working as part of a team. People need to know when something falls short or if a problem arises. If there are delays, when that’s shared with the group as soon as it becomes an issue, everyone else can adjust their work accordingly. Consistency of message and direction is important too: If everyone’s hearing the same thing, from the same person, at the same time or in the same way, they’re all on the same page and have a shared understanding of what’s going on.
Collaboration is key.
Encourage your team to work together whenever possible. If a problem comes up, you are always available as a resource, but suggest your team work together to figure out a solution. Even if the initial approach doesn’t solve the issue, that ability to talk together and work through ideas can help shape a strong team identity and sense of togetherness. This also allows the group to learn to trust each other and play to their individual strengths while working toward a common goal.
Expand your team and embrace a diversity of backgrounds and ideas.
Your team needs to be cohesive, but it doesn’t, and shouldn’t, be homogenized. Embracing diversity in all its forms can help inject new ideas and new energy into a team, which can increase excitement and help create new opportunities for exploration, discussion and brainstorming. Every person’s perspective is slightly different based on their life experiences, but the ability to share stories and ideas can help bring out the commonalities that create trust and a cohesive identity within your team.
Help them learn together.
Shared experiences are important among coworkers as much as they are with friends. Offer your team learning opportunities, whether that’s a workshop or training or a team-building experience that helps them use new skills or highlight their individual strengths. If they have the chance to work things through together, especially if everyone is starting from the same point and level of knowledge, they’ll learn together, and learning together is a bonding experience.
Looking to expand your team with new ideas and voices? Sterling Personnel can help!
A team is only as strong and effective as its members’ sense of shared responsibility, vision and success. Make sure your group knows they can rely and depend on each other; with you as the captain, you’ll go a long way!
When the time comes to add to your team, contact Sterling Personnel. We have great candidates looking to add something special to your group, and they’re ready to get to work right away. Contact Sterling Personnel today and let us introduce you.
