8 ways to build a team as powerful as an army of soldiers
“Individually we are one drop but together, we are an ocean.” The quote simply denotes the importance of team building and the spirit of unity. A powerful team is an asset to any organization with an effective leader. In the 21st century with the advancement in technology and the evolution of artificial intelligence, a strong human team is necessary to execute a strategy that drives profit. Building an effective team is the crux of any business. One can establish goals, plan strategies, but without high-performing teams, it’s all a waste.
Today most of the leaders, entrepreneurs and business owners face situations, where their hopes do not align with the hopes and desires of their employees. In an organization, there are people from all walks of life, with diverse experience, from different cultures, ethnicity and gender. It is indeed a great thing but at the same time give birth to conflicts concerning expectations, values, behaviour etc.
Here are 8 ways that can help to build a powerful and collaborative team.
- Trust
Since the foundation of any relationship whether personal or professional, is trust, it is indeed necessary to build trust within team members. While working in an organization all the members of the team should believe one another and know that tasks would be delivered on time, support shared goals and maintain transparency in communication.
To strengthen the team bond patience, calmness, flexibility and transparency are the major values. If these are followed consistently at the workplace a trustworthy relationship can be developed within team members.
Source: https://www.teamoutpost.com/blog/earning-clients-trust/
- Clarity and Communication
The key to facing any challenge in a professional setting is through clear communication. Team members and leaders must communicate effectively and have a clear picture of their goals and objectives. Communication concerning sharing views, giving suggestions and positive feedback help to build team spirit and brotherhood.
Source:https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/spring2019/pages/how-to-improve-leaders-communication-skills.aspx
- Balance between Authority & Responsibility
To increase the morale and effectiveness of employees a balance between authority and responsibility is necessary. It is often seen that team members are dissatisfied in terms of responsibility and their corresponding authority. It is the job of the leaders to believe their team members and give them the required authority for the job.
The increasing authority with better performance motivates people. Therefore as team members improve their skills and efficiency, their authority should be increased too.
Source:https://blog.aecsoftware.com/authority-does-not-always-equal-responsibility/
- Roles should be defined
Defining roles can help individuals to perform better. It will reduce the duplicity of efforts and make a team run effectively. Within an organization some employees are good communicators, others have amazing ideas and some are well organized and efficient than others. By defining their roles a team can maximize its productivity and gain the power to attain goals. These roles include a champion who would promote ideas, and drive change, a creator, an implementer and a facilitator. They hold the team together.
- Share knowledge
All team members should be informed and educated about the objectives, plans and processes of the organization. They are motivated to work with higher zeal and capacity when they have all the required information. It makes all the individuals feel valued and helps them to perform better. Lack of knowledge sharing can make them less productive and creative. This can at the same time hamper unity among team members.
Source:https://devops.com/knowledge-is-power/
- Feedback mechanism
Providing appropriate and positive feedback reinforces positive performance. Feedback should be given to individuals according to performance. An employee’s morale and effectiveness increases, if given regular feedback. But there are certain ways of providing feedback such as,
- Feedback should be given in private to all individuals.
- One issue should be addressed at a time.
- Anger and sarcasm should be avoided.
- Compliments should be made a part of the feedback.
Source:https://clevertap.com/blog/mobile-app-survey/
- Reward and recognition
Rewarding individuals for their work is what keeps them motivated. Public recognition and rewards are very important. Putting a spotlight on the accomplishments of team members makes them feel very important. Compliments, cards, pictures, awards, advancements are some of the ways to recognize efforts. Giving timely rewards as a member of a team and as individuals build a powerful team.
Source:https://headsupcorporation.com/blog/does-recognition-for-work-outweigh-the-reward/
- Respect
It’s a universal truth that treating team members with respect increases their commitment & loyalty towards work. They feel valued and respected. Therefore it’s the job of the leader to stay committed to each team member. Respect can be given by giving credit for ideas, encouragement, avoiding open criticism etc.
Source:https://c3centricity.com/6-ways-to-respect-customers/
Thus, leaders play a very important role in building a strong & powerful team. They know the work styles of different team members. Their role is significant in setting the standard for authority, responsibility, accountability and communication.They should treat all team members fairly, ask their opinions, and acknowledge their accomplishments.Teamwork aims to work together towards a common goal. It is the ability to balance between individual efforts and organizational objectives.